


Happy You Came Into My Life

by universepunk



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-14
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2017-12-25 01:37:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 63,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/947084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universepunk/pseuds/universepunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto must confront Shikamaru and his feelings for him. Not to mention keep his newfound sexuality from his friends. On Shikamaru's end, with the constant reappearance and then the much anticipated return of Team 7's teme, can he come out on top? Or will he relinquish his kitsune to Sasuke? Warning! Contains Yaoi!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sincerity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any aspects of it. The story and characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Slow down Naruto!"

I turn to look behind me to see what the big deal is. As soon as I see Sakura-chan, Sai, and Shikamaru, I know that they're worn out. We've been traveling back from a B ranked mission for about two days now, but the nonstop trekking must be getting to them. We need to set up camp soon because it's getting dark pretty fast. I could keep going for about another half a day, but their slowing paces and tired faces remind me that I have more stamina than they do.

I jump down from the trees after I hear the next complaint. Sakura-chan lands next to me and quickly grabs my jacket.

"Why do you always go so far ahead of everybody! We are a  _squad_  on this mission!" she says as she shakes me senseless.

"S-sakura, please. Calm down." Sai pleads from a distance. He knows well not to approach her during one of her explosions.

"Grr! I'm going to find a clearing!" she exclaims as she walks away angrily.

"Naruto." Sai attempts to comfort me.

It's okay. I'm used to her temper by now. I kind of wish she had a little restraint though. My head feels like it's going to fall off.

"Naruto, I need you to gather firewood." Shikamaru tells me.

"Okay." And I'm off without hesitation.

While I walk through the forest, I can't help but laugh at how long this mission has been. We were supposed to escort a princess's friend to her home in the Land of Snow. It took us about a week to get her there safely, and now we're on our way back to the Leaf Village. The payment is pretty decent, too.

I look up to the setting sky and take in the beautiful colors the clouds turn when the sun sets. We should be back in Konoha in about three days or so. I haven't had any ramen since we got to the Land of Snow because I couldn't find any ramen stands, and we were in a hurry, so I couldn't shop either.

I pat my stomach apologetically. All I have eaten for the past couple days were fruits we found. Sakura-chan made sure they were edible, of course. I'm glad she found her talent in the medical field. I would be dead by now had it not been for her. We've all changed…including Sasuke.

I remember what Sakura-chan told me she witnessed him do, or,  _about_  to do. That girl he was travelling with, Karin, he almost killed her. When we talked to her about it, she said that she knew he had been changing, but not to the point where he would kill her because she was taken hostage by Danzo. If you ask me, her ninja skills seem minimal at best, so he should have expected her capture anyway. Ever since then, she's been held up in the Leaf Village under Ibiki-sensei's watch. I don't know what Grandma Tsunade plans to do with her, but I hope she finds peace in Konoha.

"This should be enough firewood. I'd better not hear any complaints from him."

I make my way back to the others swiftly because the moon is rising. I never liked being out in the woods at night. When I finally do reach them, I smile because most of the work setting up camp has already been done. Well, at least I did my part.

I drop the firewood in front of the two tents. Sakura-chan walks up to me and speaks much calmer than before.

"I found a nice pond a few yards ahead of you."

"Thanks Sakura-chan. Sleep well." I tell her as she makes her way to her tent. She deserves a good rest.

I hear the bushes rustle and my hand is already on my kunai. I'm relieved when I see that it's only Sai. He's holding his drawing utensils in his hands.

"Naruto, I can keep watch tonight." He says assuredly. I don't doubt him either. He's a member of the ROOT division in Konoha. I can't imagine what harder tasks he's had to do. At least Danzo is out of the picture though. That guy was no good and everyone knew it.

"Are you sure? We can rotate." I offer.

He simply shakes his head and takes his post a few feet in front of the tents. He doesn't seem as tired anymore. Maybe he's used to being awake at night. He really is mystery sometimes, but he's always a good friend.

I smirk and nod as I make my way to the pond Sakura-chan mentioned earlier. I guess a good rinse couldn't hurt.

When I reach the pond, I see that it's fairly hidden under the trees with a good opening above them. There are also a few fireflies floating around on the water's surface. Sakura-chan was right, it is nice. I am kind of sweaty right now, so I decide to wash out my clothes too. I strip naked and kneel to wash them gently and then lay them on a tree branch before diving in myself. The water is cool, a good break from the sweaty night.

I swim to the middle of the pond and then down to the bottom. It isn't very deep. I'd say about five feet in this area would be a generous measurement. I decide to backstroke back to the shallow end instead of swimming. I can see the fireflies I interrupted above me now, and their lights mingle with the stars' lights above. I can see the moon when I make it back. It's really beautiful, but it looks like a sad lady to me. I don't know why.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps in the grass in the area above my head and I'm immediately on my guard. I flip over to and stand, ready to attack or defend if necessary. Shikamaru immediately laughs at my paranoia.

"It's not funny!" I yell.

He doesn't comment at all. He stands and stares at me for a brief moment before averting his eyes skyward; a small red tint has taken hold of his cheeks. I immediately freeze and realize that the only part of me being covered by the water is my lower legs. My movement to sit was the quickest one I made all day. My cheeks are hot and I look to my right to avoid any eye contact with him.

"W-what do you want!"

"I, uh, I came here to tell you that you were supposed to start the fire too." He says, seriousness taking hold of him again.

"Well fine! I'll do it when I get back!" I answer.

He doesn't hesitate to take his leave. When I can't hear anymore footsteps, I make my way out of the water and quickly dress myself. When I get back to camp, I see that the fire has already been lit. I'm not complaining about it though. Still, I wonder who did that.

I say good night to Sai, who is up in a tree, before I enter the other tent. It's dark and I can barely see anything. Before I took three steps, I tripped over something.

"Ouch! That really-"

"Naruto, watch your step!" Shikamaru exclaims, now sitting up from under his blanket.

"Watch where you're leg is lying!" I retort, sitting angrily.

My eyes have adjusted to the dark and I can see a little better now. He is still in his sitting position, and the tent is uncomfortably silent. I can't help but feel a little awkward now. I want to go to sleep, but it seems like Shikamaru is wide awake for now. Maybe he wants to talk.

"Naruto"

"Yeah?"

"I want to talk to you. More precisely, I want to tell you something." His demeanor has changed now.

"What is it?"

"Sasuke," He has my full attention now, "I know you want to save him, and I also know that he is a rogue who's wanted internationally."

"What's your point?" I ask, suspiciously.

"It's not going to be easy. I think he's intent on destroying the Leaf Village, so I hope you have a good resolve."

His words were making me angry now. What was he trying to get at?

"I'm going to save Sasuke from his hatred while protecting the Leaf!"

"That wasn't all I wanted to say. I'm just…worried about you. He's put you and everyone else through so much pain, and he tried to kill Sakura and his former teammate Karin. He won't hesitate on killing any of us, even you."

"What's your point?" I ask again.

"I won't hesitate to kill him if he attempts to kill you." His seriousness is enough to stun me for a second.

"But why Shikamaru? Why would you do that?"

"Because…because I care about you Naruto, deeply."

His hand moves to mine and he's suddenly too close for comfort. He takes my hand into his and looks me in the eye.

"I-I don't understand." I say, pulling my hand from his slowly.

"You're just as slow as ever Naruto."

He moves away from me and lies down again. But I am frozen. What does he mean by all of this? What's going on? I can't think clearly, and I can't speak. I feel that my pants are now tight, my heart is racing, and I am as confused as ever. What does he mean?

I don't remember much else because soon my eyes got too heavy to keep open and I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning to find that Shikamaru was gone. I stared at his neatly folded sheets for a minute before pulling myself together again. I left the tent and saw Sai and Sakura-chan eating something that she had cooked.

"Good morning Naruto." She spoke sweetly.

"Good morning Sakura-chan, hey Sai." I responded, looking around the camp.

"Looking for Shikamaru?" Sai asked.

"Um, no. I'm just taking in our surroundings again. I wasn't paying a lot of attention yesterday." I can be quick on my feet, despite what most people think.

"Of course" Sai joked.

"Your smile gives you away Naruto." Sakura-chan smiled.

"Fine! Where is he?"

"He went to clean some kunai for me." Sakura-chan answered, turning her attention back to her meal.

"Oh."

I make myself a dish and take my seat on the ground near them. My mind is racing like crazy about Shikamaru's words. I didn't know how to respond to what he told me. Even more importantly, I didn't know what to say about what he said about Sasuke. Would he really kill him if provoked?

I glance at Sakura-chan and remember that she struggled with trying to kill him before, which almost cost her her life. Would Shikamaru have such a struggle? He wasn't a part of Team 7, and from what I know, he didn't ever care for Sasuke at all.

"We're going to the hot springs closest to us when we leave Naruto." Sakura-chan spoke as she finished her meal, successfully distracting me from my thoughts.

I can understand why she would say that. It'll be nice to sleep on a real bed instead of a tent. She is a girl, and they have their own boundaries and limitations. I wouldn't tell her that though. She would slap me senseless.

Sai finished next, ignoring Sakura-chan's comment completely, and headed to the tent. I guess we'll be heading out soon. I hurry and finish my own plate and follow suit.

"I guess we'll be out of the village longer than we expected." Sai comments when he sees me.

"Yeah. At least we get a break."

All of the constant missions and travelling was a little unnerving. It makes me wonder how busy Shikamaru has been. Team 10 isn't currently chasing a friend and trying to save him. I am still counting on the day that I bring Sasuke back to the village, and reunite Team 7.

"Hey, will you help me put away the tent?"

"Sure Sai. You don't even have to ask!"

After packing our bags and moving everything outside, we began disassembling the tent. I looked to my left and saw that Sakura-chan had already disassembled hers herself. She looked at Sai and me and giggled.

"Having trouble?"

"No!" I yelled, and then jumped when I remembered who I was talking to.

She shrugged and began packing her things. I heard footsteps in the distance and somehow I was relieved that Shikamaru had made his way back to camp.

"Who are you!" I turned around when I heard Sakura-chan's question.

Standing before us were six bandits, all varying in size.

"She asked you a question!" I exclaim, irritated.

"We want all the money you have. If you refuse, we can help you change your minds." the biggest one said.

"Do you really think we're daft enough to fall for your bluff? You're all weak, and so you try to intimidate people with size and numbers." Sai spoke confidently.

"You little- If you want to see intimidation by size, I'll show you!" the smallest one shouted.

He stuck his pointer finger and thumb into his mouth and whistled. Suddenly, the ground began shaking. I heard a roar and suddenly there was a large bear standing in front of us. I stepped back, momentarily shocked, but I formed my hand sign and summoned ten shadow clones.

"Wh-what! Ninja!"

"I can't tell if you all are ignorant or just plain stupid, but we have ninja gear clearly visible on our bodies. It's obvious that we're ninja." Sai laughed.

"N-no! We can't handle ninja! Run!"

Suddenly, a shadow ran through my legs, using my shadow as an extension. I turned around quickly when I heard the familiar "Shadow Possession Jutsu success." from behind. There was Shikamaru, just a ways behind me.

"Surrender! You're outnumbered and outmatched." Sakura-chan said as she adjusted her gloves.

"You can drop all the money you've collected so far on the ground!" I add.

The bear growled at its lack of mobility. I silenced it with a few clones. It'd be best for us to be gone when it wakes up. The bandits followed Shikamaru's movements and dug into their pockets, then dropped their money on the ground. Suddenly Sai and Shikamaru are moving back. I follow Shikamaru's movements of his will because he has my shadow as well. Once our things are collected by Sai and the bandits have walked backwards in the opposite direction, Sakura-chan leaps into the air and punches the ground with a loud "SHANNARO!" We are now successfully separated from them, so Shikamaru breaks his jutsu.

I turn and face him, and then I remember what he told me last night. I still can't think of anything to say. I'm still very confused inside, and I can't understand his motives at all. Since I am speechless at the moment, I resort to turning and collecting the money the bandits dropped. When I'm done, I bring the money to Sakura-chan.

"This'll be more than enough to get us our own separate rooms!" she smiles.

I make sure we've left nothing behind before I take off after the others. Soon I'm leading the group again. Shikamaru is the leader of the mission, but I always end up in front of him because he's slacking off.

I spot a large dirt road in the distance and realize we're finally getting out of the forest. I jump down and take in my surroundings. There's no sign of ninja anywhere; just a bunch of townspeople out shopping I guess. When the others land behind me, I point to the hot springs I've spotted.

"Let's go." Sakura-chan walked quickly past me, followed by Sai.

I turn and notice that Shikamaru is standing in place, looking at me. I feel a little awkward now, but it's quickly replaced with a jumping feeling in my stomach when he smiles and approaches me.

"Naruto, have you thought about what I said?"

"Of course! I'm not going to get killed by Sasuke! You won't have to do anything to protect me. Believe it!"

"That's not what I was talking about." He grabs my hand and leads me back to the forest's exit. Suddenly, I'm up against a tree staring intently at his face. He makes sure we're out of anyone's sight before he looks back at me. I can't meet his gaze, so I look down.

"Naruto, have you thought about what I told you?" he asks again.

I can feel his eyes staring me down in the small distance he left between us. I'm nervous and honestly a little scared right now.

"Is it Sasuke?" he asks.

"N-no! You're…you're a guy! I'm a guy! It's wrong Shikamaru!" I'm in unfamiliar territory now.

"So? That doesn't matter. And I'm well aware of the fact that you're a guy. I can see the bulge in your pants right now."

I close my eyes tight because I don't know what else to do. He's right. I have a boner, and it's because of him.

"Look, I know you're confused, but you aren't telling yourself to have a boner right now. It isn't your choice who you're attracted to. Love is blind." He touches my cheek, which surprises me.

He's right again. I'm not telling myself to be turned on right now. I give in and let him have his way. He runs his fingers along my whisker marks, causing my cheeks to go hot again. Then his hand leaves me, and I open my eyes to look at him, missing the contact the moment it disappears.

"Naruto, I know I'm lazy, and maybe you think I'm boring, but I can't help but want to be with you. You're a nice motivation. We need you in the Leaf Village. I need you in the Leaf Village." His words are sincere and he's smiling now.

"You're not boring Shikamaru."

"I want to be here for you. Not like Sasuke, who left you. Let me in, let me help you. I can't stand to see you in so much pain." He scratches his head before continuing, "So how about it Naruto? Will you go out with me?"

I'm calmer now, and I know he means every word he says. I am attracted to him, and he just made me feel a whole lot better about the whole situation. I feel myself getting hot. I look at him slowly. He's waiting for an answer, a small smile present on his lips. He knows I won't turn him down. All he's waiting for is my consent. I gulp and decide that I'll give it a chance.

"O-okay. Sure."

His smile gets a little bigger, but he quickly calms himself.

"All right, I promise to be here for you in any way I can. I'll protect you with everything I've got Naruto."

I don't know what else to do, so I lean forward and hug him tightly. I can feel his breath on my neck and I welcome the sensation. I break the hug and remind him that we should get back to Sakura-chan and Sai.

"What happened?" Sakura-chan asked when she sees us, "We've been waiting for you two so we can check in."

"Oh, we saw a girl who kind of looked like Ino, so we followed to see if it was her." Shikamaru cleverly said.

That was smart. Sakura-chan is probably going to drop the subject at that. She had an argument with Ino before we left.

"Anyway! Let's check in." she said, falling for Shikamaru's plan.

With the money we got from the bandits, we were able to get four separate rooms, a private hot spring (girls and boys separate), and a dinner and breakfast buffet. I was surprised that we still had any money left over from that little run in earlier.

We all entered our rooms after receiving the keys around noon. I unpacked my clothes and set them on the bed for later. After searching the bathroom, I found the towels and headed to the linked hot spring. I took my time getting into the water because it was very hot. When I heard another bedroom door open, I jumped in recklessly. When I came up, I heard Shikamaru's laugh and became red all over. I turned myself away from his naked form even before I opened my eyes.

"You're so jumpy Naruto." He said as he entered the water.

He slowly made his way over to me and turned me around. I opened my eyes and instantly giggled when I saw that his hair was not in its usual spiky ponytail. He scowled at me and I stopped. I stared right into his eyes and felt his desire to be with me. But more than that, I felt my stomach doing flips again. He moved closer to me, so I splashed him with an armful of water.

"Baka! What was that for!" he shouted.

"Catch me if you can!" I responded as I backed away from him as fast as I could.

He wiped his eyes and walked after me. I wasn't about to let him catch me, so I backed up as fast as I could. Then I felt my back hit the wall. I tried to get away, but Shikamaru had me cornered. When he finally got close enough, he grabbed my face in his hands and stared at me again. I knew I had to be red all over, but he didn't seem to care at all.

My eyes went wide when I felt his lips touch mine. I saw that he had closed his eyes, so I let mine follow his example. I raised my arms and ran my fingers up his back until they found his hair. It was soft, very soft. I was surprised because it usually looks thick and prickly.

Shikamaru's tongue touched my lips and I knew he wanted entrance, so I gave it to him. As soon as I did, his tongue was moving over every part of my mouth. Finally, he found my tongue. I moved mine against his and enjoyed the taste. I wanted to remember the taste forever.

"Hello comrades."

We broke the kiss and tore apart quickly when we heard Sai's voice. I hope he hadn't seen anything through the steam! Shikamaru looked in the direction his voice came from and then back at me briefly before letting my shoulders go. I looked over his shoulder and saw Sai coming into view. Quickly, I ducked underwater, and almost lost my breath when I realized that Shikamaru's privates were right in my face. I swam as far away from him as I could before the heat got the better of me and I rose out of the water. I wiped my eyes and saw Sai giving me a puzzled look while Shikamaru blushed deeply. I guess he felt the bubbles when I opened my mouth.

"Why are you swimming in a hot springs pool?" Sai asked as he made his way over to me.

At least he hadn't noticed Shikamaru's face. He was practically glowing right now.

"I-I wanted to test my endurance!" I lied deviously.

"Endurance?" he echoed.

"Y-yeah! S-sasuke uses Fire Style jutsu, so I need to prepare myself."

As soon as I said it, I knew it was true. Sasuke is going to be a tough opponent to beat, but I've saved hundreds before, and I can do it again.

"That's true."

"I've had enough training today!" I yelled, making my way out of the water.

I hear water moving close behind me so I move faster. When I'm out, I grab my towel and rush into my room, closing the door behind me. I see the shadow on the door. It's Shikamaru, I can tell by the shoulder length hair. He stands in that spot for a few seconds, and then walks away. I doubt he'll stay in the water with Sai, so he probably went to his room.

I can't help but feel rotten. We had just made out, and then I ran from him. It's all Sai's fault, but I could have let him into my room. I probably really hurt him… I'm pulled from my thoughts by a knock at my other door. I dress and jump up, answering it as fast as I can.

"Shikamaru, I'm so-"

"Does Shikamaru have pink hair?" It's Sakura-chan.

Her hair is wet, and she's wearing a thick robe. I guess we weren't the only one's enjoying the hot springs.

"Sorry Sakura-chan."

"Did you do something to Shikamaru? Naruto! You haven't matured at all!" she yells, stomping her foot.

"No, I didn't do anything to him on purpose. I, uh, accidentally knocked him into the water." Lying has become a bad habit of mine lately. Can you blame me? I'm scared of this little secret getting out.

"Oh. Well you  _should_  be apologizing. Anyway," she looks at my dripping hair and then continues, "Are you enjoying the hot springs?"

"Oh, yeah. It's great to have a private one for just us." I smiled widely.

"I guess so. I was all alone in mine." She sighed, "Well, I guess I'm going to go see what medical supplies this town has."

"I'll come too." I say quickly.

"Huh? Why?"

"I can't let you go alone Sakura-chan. Besides, I'm bored." It was all true, but I needed to get out for now. I'll apologize to Shikamaru later.

"Well that's fine, but—wait! Are you doubting my ability to protect myself!"

"N-no! I just want to help you out." I say.

"Well, I guess. I'll go get dressed and we can get going."

I closed and lock my door before walking to the end of the hallway. It doesn't take her too long before she's out and dressed. We silently made our way out of the building and to the store down the street.

I have to say, the only thing I did while she looked through the supplies the store had was look over her shoulder. The labels had so much writing on them I couldn't read them. When she had finished her shopping, we left the store and walked slowly back to the hot springs. It was nearing nighttime now, and the sky had become filled with so many pinks, oranges, and dark violets it was nearly intoxicating. Sakura-chan looked over to me and smiled.

"What's been with you lately? You seem so much calmer."

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." I smirk even though I have no idea what she's talking about.

"I can't put my finger on it, but you're a lot less hyper these days. Maybe Shikamaru is wearing off on you."

" _You have no idea."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is hosted on Fanfiction.net. Since it is a bit explicit, I am posting it here just in case the day ever comes where it is taken down from FF. Updates will come just as often as they do on FF, but if I forget, then just shoot me an email or leave a comment to remind me.  
> Enjoy the story, everyone.


	2. A Day's Journey

Sakura-chan and I got back to the hot springs before the sun had completely set and said good night before parting. I made sure to watch her get into her room safely before I went into mine. No matter who I'm with romantically, I'll always want to protect Sakura-chan even if she gives me hell for it.

I stepped into my room, and I was reminded of the events earlier today by the towel left carelessly by the door. I'm even more upset about it now, and I don't know what to do to make it right again. I can't live with myself if I hurt Shikamaru.

I needed to see him. I decided to go and spend the night in his room with him. I just had to make sure to be careful. I don't want Sai or Sakura-chan finding out.

Around midnight, I snuck out of my room and locked the door behind me. When I got to Shikamaru's door, I hesitated for a moment, but I eventually knocked lightly.

It took a minute, but the door finally opened. As soon as I saw him, I grabbed him into a hug and buried my face into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you earlier Shikamaru!" I sobbed into his chest, "I hope you aren't mad at me. I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Naruto, I'm not mad at all." I look up unto his eyes, tears streaming down my face.

"R-really?"

"Not one bit." He yawned, "What are you doing up so late anyway?"

He brought his thumbs up over my eyes and tenderly wiped away the tears.

"I-I want to sleep with you tonight."

"Oh? That's fine with me." He smiled widely.

He closed his door behind us and led me to his bed. Falling back on it and pulling me down with him, Shikamaru smiles toothily again. I land sloppily on his stomach and stare into his brown eyes. I can't help but smile when he runs his fingers over my whisker marks like he did before. He seems obsessed with them, and the feeling of his finger's tender touch on them makes me heat up. He looks up into my eyes again and smiles.

"Your eyes are as blue as the sky Naruto. And just as pure too."

I lean down and kiss him softly. I like his compliment because I know the sky is one of his favorite things about this world. I can guess that I've become another one of those things after that comparison. While we kiss, he reaches his arm over to the lamp and turns it off. The room is dark now, just the way I wanted it.

When we break apart, I notice that there is light flowing in through his window from the moon. I never thought it was so useful before this moment.

My thoughts are broken when I feel Shikamaru's hand running down my backside and stopping to grip my ass. I'm sure the room is lit with the intensity of my red face by now. I want to stop him, but the feeling is too good for me to say anything.

I shift my hips around to enhance the intoxicating effect against my own thoughts. I feel him stop his ministrations when I put my hand on his. He must have known exactly what I was thinking. I move his hand in motion with my own to show him that I wasn't as nervous, and I wanted this.

Somehow, this does feel wrong. I know the feeling is mutual because he stops after I do.

"Naruto, I know you must be eager, and I am too, but I think it'd be best of we waited a while before doing anything too serious."

"Y-yeah."

He slides his hand slowly up my back and lets it rest when it reaches my shoulder-blade. I guess you could call it maturity, but I think it was slightly stupid that we stopped. It all felt so good, so new, so amazing, but for some reason, I was anxious. I had never done anything like this with anybody before. I had thought of girls when I masturbated, but the idea of another guy was just too foreign to me. Either way, I was here, in his arms, and feeling very relaxed.

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel good being with me? I mean, does it feel right?"

I wait for what feels like an eternity before he answered me.

"I do like being here with you. It feels right because I don't really care about what anybody has to say about what we're doing. People are gonna be people, and it's human nature to objectify and disdain something misunderstood. But I care about you way too much to care about what we've been taught is right and wrong Naruto. And besides, it's not really anyone's business what two people do in privacy."

His words are nice. I feel so reassured right now. He has his ways of making me feel better about this anytime he wants to. I can tell he is sincere and it almost makes me cry having someone to be here with me like this. This is the first night in my life that someone has made me feel this way. I hope there are more nights similar to this one on their way.

"I guess that's right." I say.

"Get some sleep, Naruto. We'll be moving for a while tomorrow."

"Okay, good night, Shikamaru."

"Night Naruto."

We fell asleep together peacefully shortly after that.

* * *

The next morning, I'm awakened by the sound of a bird on a tree branch right outside the window. It's still pretty dark outside, so I have a while before we'll be heading out again. I turn over and smile when I see Shikamaru's sleeping face. His lazy scowl is gone, which is very new to me. I've never seen too many other expressions on his face until recently.

I reach my hand out and run my finger over his cheek, then over his lips. When I hear a grumble I stop and draw my hand back quickly. His eyes slowly open and he smiles at me when he sees the look on my face.

"Good morning, Naruto."

"Morning sleepy head."

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"This was the first time I've ever slept with someone. But yeah, I slept great."

After hearing that, he smiled and sat up. He sits still for a few moments then turns and smiles at me. I smile back and watch as gets off the bed.

He makes his way over to his bags in the corner. I freeze when he undresses and pulls down his underwear. He is completely naked in front of me, and it seems like he's not uncomfortable at all.

"What's wrong Naruto?" he says, pulling his clothes and gear out of his book sack.

"Y-you're naked!"

"So? You saw me naked yesterday." He chuckled, stepping into a new pair of underwear.

There he goes being right again. I calm myself and take in his form before it disappears again under his usual attire. Suddenly I realize that I need to get back to my room before Sai and Sakura-chan wake up. I jump to the end of the bed and rush to the door, but before I can open it, Shikamaru grabs my arm.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru, but I need to get back to my room. What if Sai or Sakura-chan comes knocking?"

"Calm down Naruto. I know what you mean. But don't go running down the hallway or they'll definitely wake up and notice something's up for sure." He advises me.

"Right." I quickly kiss his cheek before quietly exiting his room entering the silent hallway.

When I'm safely in my room, I decide to get a little stress off of my chest. I lock my door and drop my pants before taking my member into my hands and starting a rhythm. When I think about Shikamaru's soft, pink lips, his attractive body, and his hands running all over my form, I feel my climax nearing. Then I think about those lips moving up and down my penis and I lose it.

I can't wait to experience the real thing with him, but for now I just need to be patient. I was never the one to be big on waiting though.

I pull my pants up and make my way over to my bed before falling over onto it.

_"I guess going out with Shikamaru was a good idea after all."_

I lie in my bed drifting in and out of sleep for a while. I eventually fell asleep and didn't wake up until after sunrise. When it's time to check out, I quickly make my way to the lobby. I look around and when I don't see Sakura-chan, I sigh in relief. If I was late to checkout, I'm sure she'd give me a hard time about it.

There aren't many people in the lobby, but I notice Sai standing near the checkout desk. I make my way over to him, slowing my pace when I notice the smirk he displays when he notices me.

"Good morning Naruto. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah. This place isn't so bad." I reply, hoping he doesn't know where I really was last night.

"Oh, that's good. You must have slept pretty hard because you wouldn't answer your door-"

"Good morning Naruto, Sai." Sakura-chan smiles as she walks over to the checkout desk.

She looks really rested and refreshed.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" I say.

"Yes. Good morning Sakura." Sai states, looking at me suspiciously.

She holds out her hand and I give her a blank stare.

"Give me your keys. We have to return them."

"Oh! Right!"

After fishing the key from my pocket, I give it to her. She is holding four keys now, but Shikamaru isn't here. I'm now pretty curious about where he is. We can't leave without him.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Sakura-chan asks.

"I was just wondering where Shikamaru is."

"He was finishing up his breakfast at the buffet the last time I saw him." She commented.

The buffet! I completely forgot about it!

"Oh, well I guess I'll go join him." I start.

"No you're not. You should have woken up earlier Naruto. We're about to leave right now." Sakura-chan yells.

"But what about Shikamaru?" I ask.

"What about me?" I turn and see Shikamaru completely packed and making his way over to us.

"…Nevermind…" I give up. Maybe there'll be another place to get food on our way.

It doesn't take long before we're out of the town and back on our way to the village. I'm not in the lead for once. Everyone is ahead of me now because I haven't eaten in a while and it's taking a toll on my stamina. It's not so bad though. Shikamaru slows his pace every now and again to check on me. What a good boyfriend he is to me. Wait. Boyfriend?

Shikamaru is my boyfriend. The thought makes me smile a bit. I see him looking back at me and my cheeks are hot again. I look to the ground below to avoid his gaze. I don't really know why, but he makes me feel all weird inside.

"Hey! We're going to take a quick break near the clearing up ahead!" Sakura-chan calls.

"Naruto, you can have my lunch when we stop." Shikamaru tells me softly.

"No way! I don't want you to be hungry later Shikamaru. I can do without."

He looks ahead, ignoring me completely. He knows I'm starving by now so he might even try shoving the food down my throat.

The clearing Sakura-chan was talking about is quite large. There is nothing but grass for miles and miles. I look back to the forest and get the chills. Nothing good ever happens in the woods…

"Naruto, can I have a word with you?" Sai asks quietly.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

He waits until Sakura-chan and Shikamaru are further out in the field before continuing.

"Did you sleep in Sakura's room last night?"

Oh this is not good. He knows I didn't sleep in my room! But on the bright side, he thinks I was in Sakura-chan's room.

"Y-yea. But nothing happened. We were talking and I fell asleep on the floor."

"Oh. I see."

I turn slowly and keep walking. Now I need to tell Sakura-chan to cover for me. She's up a few yards ahead, giggling about something while Shikamaru who isn't laughing in the slightest.

I hurry over to them and smile.

"What's so funny Sakura-chan?"

"Oh nothing." She smiled innocently.

"Okay. Um. Can I talk to you for a second?" I ask her.

"I'm going to scout the area." Shikamaru speaks, realizing he was about to become a third wheel.

"What is it Naruto?"

"Um. I need a favor from you."

"All right. Tell me what it is."

"Okay. If Sai asks, will you tell him I was sleeping in your room last night? Please?"

She looks puzzled for a moment, then she looks down as though she's considering something, but agrees nonetheless.

"Thanks so much Sakura-chan."

"No problem." She blushes deeply.

After a few minutes of silence, Sai makes his way over to us.

"Hm, where's Shikamaru?" he asks, looking around for him.

"He went to scout the area. But I've traveled this way with Ino on a mission before so I know if we keep moving in a southwesterly direction, we'll get back to the Leaf faster. I'd say if we get up early tomorrow, we should be able to make it back by about eight o'clock." Sakura-chan answers.

She's always so knowledgeable.

"Okay, good. What time should we set up camp?" Sai continues the conversation.

"Maybe around nine. That way we can be up and ready to move by dawn."

I stand quietly. I'm not often picked to lead a mission so I don't do these kinds of things well. But Sakura-chan seems to be taking charge of things and I doubt Shikamaru would mind. We're only going back home so he doesn't need to overexert himself.

It isn't long before he makes his way back to us. He and Sakura-chan discuss what she just told us and it's decided we will take the shortcut to get back.

It is decided that we will move until dusk.

After eating the lunch given to me by Shikamaru, I feel energy flowing through me again.

"Let's move out!" I order.

"You're not the leader of this mission." Sai comments.

"He has a point though…" Sakura-chan says before she and Shikamaru start walking ahead of me.

As soon as we get up in the trees, I take the lead…as usual. I heard complaints from Sakura-chan as I passed her up. Sai and Shikamaru didn't seem to mind me going on ahead though.

I'm moving so quickly and for such a good bit of the day that I don't even realize when everyone else had stopped a little while ago to start setting up camp.

Then I feel a pair of arms wrapping around me, pulling me to a halt up on a sturdy tree branch.

"Naruto, we stopped moving forever ago. Don't go so far ahead of the group all the time or you'll get lost." Shikamaru whispered.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I'm excited to get back to the Leaf and have some Ichiraku's."

I know I'm grinning from ear to ear, but I can't help it. Doing things like that, the thought of my old teacher Iruka-sensei, being around Sakura-chan, and besting Konohamaru just make me glad.

"Come on, we're done setting up for the evening. Let's go see if we can find a place to bathe."

* * *

"Naruto! You always go too far ahead of us!" Sakura-chan yelled at me when I returned.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan!"

Sai smiled before he began speaking, "You know, I read in a book that women will disguise their anxiety with anger so the one they're pursuing doesn't know-"

"Urusai!"

I turn and see Shikamaru shaking his head, probably dismissing the other two from his mind.

He lazily walks over to the tents and climbs into one of them.

Of course, the other one is for Sakura-chan.

Shikamaru, Sai and I will all share one. Which means he and I won't be able to talk or even sleep too close.

Sai is overly suspicious and extremely nosy too.

While I can, I follow him to spend time with him before Sai decides to join. It's evening after all. He's probably going to go paint or something.

"Naruto?" Sakura-chan calls when she sees me going to the tent.

It must be unusual for her to see me lazing about like Shikamaru.

"Yeah?" I ask in return.

"You're tired? I've never known you to go to sleep so early on a mission…"

"Oh, well I just need to rest up. Tomorrow we get back to Konoha and Tsunade-obaa-chan gave us a few days off."

"That's right! I can't believe I forgot. Well, I guess I'll call it quits early today too." She smiled.

I watch as she stands and goes into her tent with a wave.

I continued on my way to the other. After all, Shikamaru is in there alone. We have some time to be alone before Sai decides to call it a day.

Just as I enter, I bump right into Shikamaru's chest.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Going to bathe. Wanna join me?" he asks the last part quietly.

"S-sure thing."

"Let's get going then. I saw a waterfall not far from here that would be great to use."

He walks past me and I stand in place for a few seconds before turning and following him. I'm a bit nervous, but I know Shikamaru is probably as nervous as I am.

But it's a bath…or a rinse I guess. Nothing's really bound to happen anyway. I'll just see him naked in clear water. No biggie, right?


	3. Team Seven

I'm not sure how I feel as I walk to the waterfall with Naruto. I know we're officially together, and I'm extremely attracted to him, but I think it'd be best for us if we kept things really simple for now.

We're just starting out with this relationship and I don't like rushing things. I especially don't want to rush into a disaster which is what I'd be doing if I don't restrain myself.

When I look over to him, he smiles and I notice a red tint to his cheeks.

"Hey, are you too nervous?" I ask, "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"N-no! I want to bathe with you. I'm nervous, but I don't want to let that stop me."

"Okay. We won't take long then. Besides, it's getting late so we'd better get back to Sai and Sakura soon. I'd hate to have casualties on an escort mission."

Naruto folds his arms and huffs before speaking, "Have a little more faith in my teammates! Sakura-chan is near as good as Tsunade-obaa-chan and Sai is a member of the ROOT division in the village! They wouldn't be taken down so easily!"

There he goes again, boasting about his disaster of a team. The loudest, most noticeable one of all the rookie teams was no doubt, Team Seven.

I don't blame him for being confident about them though. Along with Kakash, Sai, Sakura and Naruto are among the best in the village.

Sai is a pretty serious member of the ROOT division previously led by Danzo. His artistic skills can be used for espionage, delivering intelligence, retrieval of an incapacitated comrade, or just plain combat. I don't know him that well, but he seems pretty dependable and trustworthy so I feel safe lowering my guard around him.

Kakashi is revered in many villages as a first-class ninja and has made quite the reputation for himself. From what I heard he's the son of the village's late White Fang. I can't say too much about him since I don't spend much time around him, but he really came through for my team when they were fighting Kakuzu. And Asuma really respected him, so I will too.

Sakura can be many things. Aside from Naruto, she's the next person I've spent the most time with outside of my own team. She used to lecture Naruto like she was his superior, but I've seen that side of her back off immensely since they've reunited. Lady Fifth really treasures her skills and has told me on many occasions that she is glad to have her and Shizune as reliable aides. I couldn't believe my ears when Ino told me she had helped her train to become a medical ninja. Pretty nice of her I guess. Naruto really cares about her and would die to save her life I'm sure of it. I just hope that day never comes.

Then there's Naruto… my Naruto… I know he means well. He isn't the brightest, and he isn't always doing respectable things, but he's saved the village in so many ways it's not funny. I've watched him grow up from a prankster into a decent young man. He also has a caring, honest personality. The beatdowns he takes from Sakura or the insults he took from Sasuke really showed me that. I couldn't help but fall in love with him. I had to hide it after it happened, but that wasn't hard considering that he's been out of the village like crazy lately.

Since the war ended, it's good to know he's still here, safe in the comfort of the Leaf Village.

The one remaining member of Team Seven, Sasuke, still hasn't returned to the Leaf. Even after he did away with Danzo, he's still moving about the lands doing who knows what. I wonder if he's still holding a grudge... I mean, he killed his older brother so shouldn't he return? That's what makes me so curious. Maybe there was something else to the story that we're all missing. I try not to think about it too much though. It's Sasuke. Too many people are concerned about him for me to want to feel the same. Naruto, Sakura, and Ino are only three of the many.

"I can see the waterfall from here!" Naruto says.

I turn around to make sure Sai isn't behind us. I didn't see him when we left camp so I was wondering if maybe he got curious about where we were going and followed.

I'm not the least bit worried that Sakura is tailing us. I saw her coming back from this area just a bit earlier so I know she's bathed already.

Some part of me thinks she already knows about me and Naruto, but I can't be sure. She's coy most often when it comes to romantic stuff. And she's clever too. We established during the first Chuunin exams that she's in rank with Neji and I when it comes to intelligence.

That's why I'll be keeping my eyes on her. I want to keep this a secret, what's going on between me and Naruto. I personally don't care if people know I'm interested in other men, but for the sake of simple privacy, which we'd surely not have if word ever got out, I'll do my best to keep this a secret.

Sakura  _is_ a girl. And no matter how much I trust her, I don't trust Ino to keep her nose out of this. She'd get it out of her in an instant.

I'm not sure how Naruto feels about all of this just yet. He's never been one to care what other people thought about him, but I can't imagine what would happen if everyone in his life found out he was dating a guy. Me at that. The laziest guy in the Leaf Village.

I don't want to let the secret out, so for now, I'll play stupid if I'm ever asked about it. And I'll do all I can to keep Ino and Sakura at bay.

"Come on, slow poke!" Naruto turned around and walked over to me to grab my arm and lead me to our destination at a faster pace.

When we arrive, I sit down on a large boulder to take off my shoes and then I undress. Naruto takes down his pants and I immediately see that he isn't wearing any underwear.

"Don't stare at it!" he exclaims before covering himself.

"I'm not… I just find it weird that you're not wearing any boxers."

"I ran out of clean ones yesterday."

"You should've just packed more."

"I didn't think we'd be out this long!"

"Well, we'll be back in Konoha tomorrow night." I say before removing my own pants and boxers.

Once I get my sweater over my head, I notice blue eyes glancing directly at my crotch.

"Shikamaru…you're so…"

"You told me not to stare but you go and do just that?" I smile.

"Well, I just noticed…"

"Huh? Just noticed what?" I ask looking down at myself curiously.

"You're… bigger than me…"

I can't help but laugh a bit at that one. How childish of him to care about something as frivolous as that.

"Stop being foolish, Naruto. I don't care about things like that. I want you just the way you are."

With cheeks of red again, Naruto turns and dashes to the water. Apparently he's embarrassed about it.

I follow him and step in carefully. To my surprise, the water is actually a little warm. That's all the motivation I need to completely submerge myself into it.

As I look around beneath the water's surface, I see Naruto beneath the water as well, swimming around aimlessly. He waves at me when his eyes land on me and I smile at his innocence and childish behavior.

When I come back up, he swims over to me. As soon as he gets close enough, I wrap my arms around him and press my lips to his cheeks.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad you decided to give going out with me a chance. I know it must be a strange transition for you, having liked Sakura all these years."

"Oh, well don't be so surprised. I've always looked up to you and saw you as a true friend of mine. Dating you seems like a good idea to me. Sakura-chan would understand me giving you a chance."

I smile at him and he returns it. He then proceeds to challenge me to a race across the water to the waterfall.

We get into position and he takes it upon himself to say when to begin.

"Ready. Go!" he shouts before taking off.

"Wait, what happened to set!?" I ask before following quickly.

"Keep up, Shikamaru!"

"You just got a head start! Don't go boasting at me!"

Even with said head start, I manage to tie with him. He's kind of upset about it, but it was just a silly race. I'm sure he'll get over it in no time.

"Hey, Naruto, let's get going. I think the others are probably worried about us. Besides, we're nice and rinsed off by now."

"Sure." He says before going back to his clothes.

I do the same and dress myself, his big blue eyes watching me the whole time.

On the walk back, he is quiet, but it doesn't seem like he's discontent in any way. He's actually got a grin gracing his lips.

Sai, who is up in a tree as usual, sees us and jumps down.

"Hello, were you two bathing in that waterfall Sakura told you about?"

"Yeah… Why?" I ask.

"Oh, no reason. I just don't know which way to go to get there, but I'll follow the direction you two came from and I'm sure I'll find it."

"Is Sakura-chan asleep?" Naruto asks. He's always so concerned about her and what she's doing whenever she's around.

It's not surprising though. She is a teammate of his. She's been at his side since we were genin, and has walked quite a few paths with him. Some I may never know about.

But perhaps he'll think of me as much as her in time. At least, I hope.

Sai nods, "Yes. We're supposed to be leaving pretty early to move out tomorrow so I'll go to sleep early too. Once I've rinsed myself off that is."

"Well, guess we'd better get to sleep too. Enjoy your bath." I tell him before I get inside the tent.

Naruto sees Sai off and follows me in, "Well, guess we can't cuddle tonight…"

"Don't worry, we'll be home tomorrow. Then we can cuddle all we want." I smile.

"Right."

He sits down and begins undressing for the evening.

"Want me to keep watch for the night?" I ask, "I don't want to keep depending on Sai to do it. It's not fair to him."

"No, I can do it. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep though."

"Okay." I lean over to him and press my lips to his cheek before lying down.

I don't really feel guilty about leaving it to him because Sakura and I were the ones rotating as lookouts on the way to the Land of Snow.

When I think about it, Naruto was the one who kept watch the least in this mission.

When I turn to him, he grins innocently at me. He must know what I've just realized.

"Shikamaru, did I ever tell you how handsome you were?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"You can tell me all about it tomorrow." I say before laying down.

His blush in the darkening tent is easy to see. It just makes me forget how irritated I'd gotten and reminds me of how much I like him.

" _Naruto, I hope you'll grow to love me like the ones you love in Team Seven someday."_


	4. Reaction Gague

I walk quietly behind Shikamaru as we enter Tsunade-sama's mansion. We've finally arrived in Konoha and I'm so relieved. This has been a tiresomely long mission.

But something else has caught my attention.

He and Naruto are walking side by side, which is normal I suppose…

I have some suspicions about what may be going on between them, the way they've been looking at each other lately and spending more time together being helping factors.

I glance at Sai from the corner of my eye. He's acting completely normal so maybe I'm just thinking too much into things.

"Oi, Shikamaru," Naruto says as we walk, "You're treating me to ramen at Ichiraku's, right?"

Same old Naruto. Begging for ramen as uncouthly as ever.

"Yeah. Don't remind me." Shikamaru responded.

That's very strange. Naruto and Shikamaru going out this late in the evening for ramen. I've never known Shikamaru to treat anyone besides Choji and Ino to dinner.

I'm even more surprised that Naruto didn't ask me out as he usually does. Just what is going on with him lately?

"Sakura, are you all right?" Sai asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me. Let's just hurry to Tsunade-sama's office to deliver the mission report."

"The sooner the better! I'm getting treated to ramen tonight!" Naruto says happily.

"I'm surprised that you didn't offer to take me." I comment.

"Sakura-chan…? D-do you actually want to go out with me!?"

Shikamaru, as subtly as possible, glanced over to Naruto. Perfect ploy. I knew that'd get the reaction I wanted from him.

The old Shikamaru would have sighed or dismissed us from his thoughts altogether.

There's definitely something going on between them.

"Baka!" I respond, "It's not like that! It's just strange that you're not hounding me to go out. But I guess the thought of free rounds of ramen are too good for you to resist, huh?"

"Haha! We can do something together tomorrow if you want." He offers.

"Sorry. I've got things to do at home. But have fun on your date." I smile.

Naruto blushes and turns away shyly.

He's far too obvious.

"It's nothing like that, Sakura." Shikamaru says.

"I was only teasing." I smile.

I'd like to know more about these two, but following them would be an invasion of privacy and unbelievably inappropriate. With only their reactions to go on at this point, I can only assume they're up to something. If Naruto wants me to know something though, I'm sure he'd tell me.

I'm one of his closest friends so I have no doubt he would. And Shikamaru is a good guy. If they are going out like I suspect them to be, then I can only offer my support. After all, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't?

We enter the main office just as Shizune is leaving with TonTon in her arms.

She greets us and then says there's something she needs to tend to before excusing herself quickly.

I wonder what she's in such a hurry for.

"I take it the escort mission was successful?" Tsunade-sama says after looking up from her paperwork.

"Yeah. The girl was returned to her home safely." Shikamaru responds.

"Good work, as expected from you, Shikamaru. Sakura and Naruto, you'll both have some time off starting tomorrow. Enjoy yourselves."

"Right. Do you need me come in and help you with anything?"

"No, in fact, don't go to the hospital tomorrow either. You and Naruto stick close together and… see a movie or something. Do not leave the village. Am I understood?"

"Huh? What's wrong, Tsunade-sama?"

"What are you confining us to the village for!?" Naruto asks angrily.

"Oh, Kakashi wants to see you both tomorrow. It's not for anything serious, he just instructed me to tell you both to stay in the village. Sai, I think it'd be best if you accompanied them."

"Yes ma'am."

What is going on? Kakashi-sensei wants to see us tomorrow? It kind of feels like Tsunade-sama is covering for something.

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Please do as instructed, Sakura. After all, it's time off. Stop being such a busy body and enjoy it." She smiles.

"… Right…"

"I don't have any further instructions so you're all dismissed. Have a pleasant night."

"Okay! Ramen time!" Naruto exclaims. He's clearly forgotten how upset he just was about being confined to the village.

I guess since he heard it was Kakashi-sensei's orders he's okay with it. But I feel like something else may be going on.

"Let's go, Shikamaru!"

"You're such a handful…" Shikamaru responds grumpily.

I smile at his dilemma because I know he'll be paying quite a bill tonight. That's a price he'll have to pay if he wants to be with Naruto.

"Sakura-chan, will you be okay going home?" Naruto turns to me and asks once we've left the building.

"Yeah. Have fun, okay? And… Naruto… You know you can come to me if you want to talk about anything. Always remember that."

Shikamaru, who is waiting for Naruto a little ahead, stares at me for a moment before looking at our blonde friend. I can't tell, but for as sharp as he is I'm pretty sure he suspects that I suspect something.

"Always, Sakura-chan! And the same goes for you!"

"Right." I smile before walking on in the direction of my house.

For some reason, I feel a little glad. Being nice to Naruto isn't so hard when he's not being childish or vulgar.

I'll have to check on him when he wakes up tomorrow… which will probably be around noon.

Wait, I have to spend all of tomorrow with him and Sai! Kakashi-sensei better have a good reason for taking one of my off days and practically forcing me to babysit until he arrives.


	5. Date Night and Streetlights

I smile big at Shikamaru as he and I walk to Ichiraku's under the moonlight and the many stars decorating the sky. He blushes, but puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me very close.

"Naruto…"

This is just slightly uncomfortable, but only because we're out in the open. I grip the straps on my travel bag to comfort myself… which didn't really work at all.

"Yeah?" I ask him, wondering what he could have to tell me that we'd need to be so close.

"I hope you don't plan to eat me out of house and home." He whispered in my ear before kissing it.

I anxiously pull myself free from him and blush. There weren't any people around, but I can't help but feel like someone is watching us.

"I hadn't planned on it!" I replied.

"Alright… Good…" He said with more than just relief in his voice.

I can't tell, but it feels like he's pretty let down by my shyness about public affection. I'm new to it, though! Even Sakura-chan never let me get close to her too often. She's a girl and I felt strange when we were close in public, so this dating another guy is a big step for me.

I hope he understands that the villagers are just getting used to me, and I don't want to chance being hated again… Not this soon, anyway. This kind of thing is unnatural and kind of frowned upon in the village.

His smile when I turn to him lets me know that it's okay.

Once we step into the currently empty and much more private Ichiraku's, I wrap my arms around his neck in a reassuring hug and close my eyes.

"I like you a lot, Shikamaru. But I need some time to adjust to being with you…" I say as softly as possible.

I mean it, too. I've always been fond of Shikamaru, and I can't ever see myself intentionally hurting him.

When his arms wrap around my lower torso, I blush.

Wanting to do nothing more than hide it, I bury my face in his dark gray, incredibly soft sweater. He smells of something I can't put my finger on, but it's a very pleasant smell.

The next thing I feel is a bulge in his pants, which causes me to jump and him to chuckle innocently. Though there is nothing innocent about what's going on down there…

"Who's this fellow, Naruto?" Teuchi asked when he came out of the kitchen.

I immediately let go of Shikamaru and step back from him.

"This is… This is Shikamaru… He's the same age as me and one of my good friends."

"Oh? Whatever happened to that pretty girl who offered to feed you?" he replied.

"Sakura-chan? Uhm, she's around... But we're not  _together_ or anything."

"What a shame… She seemed like a lovely little thing."

"Wh- what makes you say it's a shame?" I ask.

"Well, because it seems like, from seeing the way you two were hugging, that you and this fellow are more than just friends."

"Oh…"

"You sure catch some good-looking people, Naruto-kun." Ayame said with a smile after coming from the kitchen, "Sakura was so pretty, and this one here is really handsome."

"Ayame!"

"How long have you two been together?" she asked as she grabbed some uncooked noodles.

I turn to Shikamaru, who raises his shoulders nonchalantly about the matter.

"We just started dating a few days ago." I say.

"That's very cute! I hope you two have a long and prosperous relationship!" Ayame said excitedly. She seemed so sincere so I couldn't help but believe she meant what she said.

"I'm not the type to judge, and I especially couldn't judge the village hero  _and_ my best customer!" the old man said.

I sit down at my favorite stool and grin, "That's a relief!"

Shikamaru sits next to me calmly before picking up a menu.

"Let me know when you're ready, sonny." Teuchi said to him then turned to me, "I assume you'll be getting the same thing you always do when you're being treated, right? Five extra large bowls of Miso Ramen with the-"

"N-no! I'll only have two tonight…"

Teuchi opened his eyes he was so shocked with my interruption, "Well this is new. You must want this guy to take you out more often!" he laughed.

"…" I turn to Shikamaru, who is still reading the menu.

"Have you ever had the Shrimp flavored ramen before, Naruto?" he asks me.

"No… I prefer Miso or Chicken. I'll try some of yours when you get it though, if you don't mind?"

"That's fine." He says.

We didn't waste any time order our meals and then we waited for Teuchi and Ayame to come back with them.

With nothing else to do, I begin stacking the chopsticks to build a skyscraper. Shikamaru surprises me by actually helping me construct it.

His hand brushes mine a few times, and I blush because I think of being close to him again. The last time we touched, only a few minutes ago, I'd felt his boner. I wonder if he'd be interested in staying over… Not that I want to do anything serious with him. But, being with him this way is so nice. It's nice enough that I don't want this night to end.

"Here you boys go." Teuchi said as he came from the back with our ramen and put the bowls in front of us, "I'll have your second bowl ready for you when you finish this one." He says to me.

Both Shikamaru and I begin eating, but I watch him as I eat. I've never had the Shrimp before, so I want to ask for a taste… Didn't we already agree that I'd taste some, though?

After noticing me, he grins. "Here, Naruto." He smiles and lifts his chopsticks full of noodles in my direction.

"Thanks, Shikamaru!" I say happily.

When the noodles reach my mouth, I'm not really sure how to react. They're not bad, but they're not really good either. How can he be eating this?

The fact that those chopsticks he just put in my mouth were his have me blushing again, forgetting the taste altogether. I don't know why I keep blushing! It's not like we haven't already locked lips before.

"Something wrong?" he asks.

"I- I'm fine! The noodles are okay… I like mine better though."

"I think they're pretty good."

"Want to try some of mine?" I offer.

"Sure." He replies, then looks me in the eyes.

I scoot closer to him and lift my chopsticks full of noodles into his mouth very gently. After chewing and swallowing, he tells me they're good.

"Glad you like them! I get this flavor all the time!"

"Heh, I can imagine… Hey, Naruto…"

"Huh?" I ask, before lifting my bowl to drink the rest of my ramen broth.

"Can I come over tonight?"

"… I have to meet Sakura-chan and Sai tomorrow at the training field to wait for Kakashi-sensei…" I say, making an excuse.

"Oh…"

I pause. When I see the look of disappointment on his face he's trying to hide, I feel really guilty. Shikamaru is one of the people I never want to let down.

"Shika… Do you really want to come over? It's… okay with me. I just can't stay up too late. If I'm not on time, Sakura-chan will let me have it."

"Sakura, huh? I should expect no less from her." He chuckles.

"… Well, let's go then."

"Wh- What about your second bowl of ramen?"

"I- I'm more excited about you coming over. It's not often I have people stay the night."

"Heh, let's hope it's cleaner than the last time I came over."

"Yeah… That was when I was sad about Pervy Sage… I didn't do anything but sleep…"

Shikamaru leans over and kisses my right cheek tenderly.

"I'm just glad I was able to bring back that amazing smile of yours. Being sad doesn't suit you at all."

"Thanks, Shikamaru."

Just as he pays the bill and we stand to leave, Ayame comes out from the back.

"Naruto-kun? Where are you going without eating your second bowl of ramen?"

"It's getting late, but I'll be back for it tomorrow after I see my teammates!" I say before following close behind Shikamaru.

* * *

We walk down the street under the bright streetlights quietly. For some reason, I'm paying more attention to the things that we pass as we get closer to my apartment, even though I see them all the time.

Being with Shikamaru is so strange to me. It's starting to feel more and more natural, I'll admit, but I still know it's not right. And that's what confuses me so much. How could something that gives me so much happiness and pleasure be so wrong?

"Naruto, where are you going?" I hear Shikamaru ask from a bit of a distance.

I turn and see that he's standing at the front door to my apartment complex. I was thinking so much I walked right by it.

"Sorry!" I say before rushing over to the main door and unlocking it.

After racing Shikamaru up the stairs and walking down the long, empty hallway, we reach my door.

Before I unlock it, I glance out at the village that's illuminated by the moonlight. It looks so amazing tonight.

But despite the beauty of tonight, something feels off. Something is coming. Something big. And I can't tell what it is, which scares me.

"Are you okay, Naruto? You seem a little distracted."

"Huh!? Oh, yeah!"

Quickly, I unlock the door and walk in with Shikamaru right behind me.

Once the door closes and I drop my travel bag on the floor, he wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his chin on my neck before speaking, "I actually hadn't planned to stay over, but if that's what you really want, I will."

His breath is so warm. It causes me to shiver and fall back onto him.

"Okay… That should be fine."

We stand in silence for about a minute, but I know we need to get ready for bed.

So I pull myself free from him and walk down the hallway to my room in search of some blankets for the couch. I want him to be able to sleep comfortably. I like it cold when I sleep so I figure a good comforter may be best to give him.

When I come back out and walk over to him with them, he stares at me questionably.

"I'm… not sleeping in your bed…?"

"Oh! You want to sleep with me, again?"

"I do." He says with a smile and welcoming eyes.

"Okay… F- Follow me, then…" I say, and then turn out the lights in the front rooms before we make our way to the back.

We've slept together before, so why am I nervous now?

I count the footsteps I take as we walk, my heart beating unnaturally fast. Shikamaru is right behind me, practically breathing down my neck.

I have to get over this shyness. We already agreed that we won't be doing anything until we're ready, and that puts me a little at ease.

"Your room is much cleaner than I was expecting." I hear him say when we enter.

"Why does everyone think I'm a complete slob?"

"I don't think that. But you have been known to keep a less than organized abode…"

"That's the same thing!" I fume before tossing myself onto my bed.

I've missed it terribly. Sleeping in that tent was kind of uncomfortable. The only real bed I slept in was Shikamaru's when we went to those onsen.

My bed bounces when Shikamaru sits down at the foot of it. I look down and see him taking off his shoes and his sweater.

He turns and climbs up next to me before wrapping his arms around me.

"Wait, we can't sleep until I turn off the lights." I say.

After doing just that, I get back into bed and let Shikamaru wrap his arms around me and I do the same to him.

"Hey, Shikamaru…?"

"Yeah?"

"There were so many rumors about you liking Temari… Did you actually like her? And what about Ino?"

"Where's this coming from, Naruto?"

"… I'm just curious about you."

"Well, if you must know, no, I never liked either Temari or Ino. They're both too pushy and they remind me of my mother."

"Oh…"

"I like you, Naruto. A lot. And I want to be with you and no one else."

"… I know, Shika."

"So, what about you? Did you ever like anyone besides Sakura?"

"Not really. I've always like her and only her." I smile.

Thinking about Sakura-chan always makes me more comfortable.

"What about Hinata?"

"Hinata...? Well, I never thought about her often. I didn't, and still don't, know her, so I can't claim to have any feelings about her."

"I think she may have gotten over you. It did take you a while to even notice her, after all. It took some restraint for me to watch her be so into you all this time and not tell you about my feelings..."

"I never would have guessed you liked me…"

"I kept it hidden well."

I smile against his chest then look up and bury my nose under his chin.

"So there was no one else you liked besides Sakura?"

"Uh… I've always wondered what it'd be like to do stuff with Kiba."

"Kiba?"

"Yeah, he's attractive. Don't judge me about it. What about you? Any other guys catch your eye?"

"No one but you, Naruto."

"…Oh. That's-"

Shikamaru interrupts me by looking down and pressing his lips to mine.

I'm surprised, but I don't pull away. Instead, I get as close to him as possible. Despite feeling his erection again, I keep myself pressed against him.

And that was the last thing I remember before falling asleep, our lips still locked in a soft kiss.


	6. Close Friends

I wake up and find that the pair of arms that were surrounding me last night were now gone.

When I turn over, I don't see Shikamaru anywhere, but his sweater is still lying on my floor so I know he's still here in my apartment. I stretch and yawn before getting out from under the sheets and walking into the living room. It's then that I see my bathroom door is closed and the light is shining underneath the door.

"Shikamaru, are you in there?" I ask groggily.

The door opens and I see him start grinning at me while he stands in front of the mirror.

"Morning, Naruto." He says.

"I have spare toothbrushes if you need one."

"Oh, no. I'm about to go home, actually. I was just waiting for you to wake up before I left and had to use the bathroom..."

"You're leaving me…?"

"Yeah. Don't sound so sad, Naruto. I need to check in with Tsunade-sama to see if she has a mission for my team. You, Sakura, and Sai have some time off, right? Go do something fun with them." He offers.

"I know… I was just kinda hoping I could spend some time with you today… But I- OH!"

"What?! What's wrong?"

A shiver runs up my spine and I cringe, "Oh shit!"

"What is it, Naruto?!"

"… I need to hurry to the training field to meet Sakura-chan and Sai!"

Shikamaru stares at me with a puzzled expression on his face, "That's what you're so worried about?"

"You say that so calmly, but Sakura-chan will be mad if I'm late."

"Is it really that bad?"

"… She's… she's like Ino times ten…"

After staring at me for about ten seconds, Shikamaru dashes out of the bathroom, straight past me, and into the bedroom.

"Wh- where are you going?!" I ask.

"I have to meet Ino and Choji outside the Hokage's mansion!" he calls.

When he comes out, pulling his sweater over his head, I stare at him, "Why are  _you_  in such a hurry?"

"… Ino…"

"Aha! You see! You thought I was crazy a few seconds ago, but you knew exactly what I meant!"

"Yeah, you were right… Now I have to go! I'll see you later, Naruto."

Shikamaru walks up to me, grabs my cheeks and kisses me on the lips, then he quickly leaves. I stand in slight shock for a moment. I wasn't expecting  _that_  from him. He makes it seem like we're… like we're married or something. And to that, I can't help but blush.

I like him so much… And he makes me feel so wanted. I'm not used to this kind of attention from someone. Well, maybe, on occasion, I'd see a warmer side of-

"Oh crap! Sakura-chan!" I say, before quickly putting on my shoes and running out my front door.

* * *

"Naruto, you're late…"

"I know… I know…" I say, before bending over, putting my hands on my knees, and panting heavily.

"You're lucky Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet… But I'm still curious as to why we're not supposed to leave the village. I can't even go to the hospital today…"

"It's probably just because Kakashi-sensei doesn't want to have to look for us." I say after catching my breath.

"That… makes sense…"

Sai, who is sitting over against one of the mounted logs, smiles and waves at me.

"Hey Sai!" I call happily.

Sakura-chan walks over to him, with me close behind, and looks to see what he's sketching.

"Is that… me and Naruto? Did you just draw this?" she asks.

"Why yes, you two make a lovely subject to illustrate."

I blush and turn away, but Sakura-chan doesn't seem too bothered by what he's just said.

"Would you two be willing to model for me? I want to draw a picture of two people on a hill and this seems like a good time of day to do it."

"Sure." Sakura-chan smiles.

"I don't mind." I say.

"Good, let's move over there." he says, motioning to a hill just a few meters away.

…

About fifteen minutes into Sai's sketching us, Sakura-chan scoots a little closer to me.

"Naruto." She says.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"You know I care about you, right?"

"Of course, Sakura-chan! And you know I care about you too! More than anything! I'd do anything to keep you safe."

"I… I just wanted to ask you something…" she trails off for a moment, staring at the sky.

She's so pretty that I have a hard time paying attention to anything else right now.

"What is it?"

"… Nevermind… I just hope you're happy, Naruto. You deserve it."

"Sakura-chan…?"

"Sakura!"

Both she and I turn when we hear Ino's voice calling out from the entrance to the training field.

"Ino?!"

I smile big when Shikamaru and Chouji enter behind her. Shikamaru smiles at me, causing my skin to crawl with excitement.

Sai doesn't seem to mind when the three of them walk over to us. Ino takes a seat next to Sakura and they start chatting about how long it took to dry their hair this morning, and how often they use conditioner. Things I'm not really too interested in basically. Chouji stops before he gets to me and Sakura-chan and looks over Sai's shoulder, complementing him on his work. Sai is always glad to receive some kind of response for his work, even if he doesn't outwardly show it.

Shikamaru sits down next to me as if it's no big deal. I'm inwardly upset that we have to act this way, but overall I'm kind of glad that he's so patient about this. I don't want Sakura-chan to get suspicious, and I definitely don't want Ino to know about us at all.

"Naruto, good to see you." He says with a smile.

The sun is high in the sky, shining down on him and brightening up my day in the process.

"It's good to see you too, Shikamaru." I return his smile.

I can't help the urge of being close to him, so I casually fall back into the grass and, in the process, I lean closer to him.

"You didn't happen to see Kakashi-sensei on your way here, did you?" I ask.

"Nope, sorry."

"What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"Tsunade-sama dismissed our team, saying she didn't have any new missions for us. Even the D-Ranked missions have all been taken by most of the Genin."

"Oh… Well that's lucky. You guys get the day off."

Shikamaru winks at me, then rips some grass up and drops it on my face.

"Stop that!" I say playfully.

"Heh, I don't think so, Naruto." He grins.

It's too much for me. Shikamaru's childish act, and his handsome grin are just too much. So I sit up and tackle him down onto the ground.

"What will you do now?" he asks.

"Shika, you're so-"

When the girls start giggling, I blush and realize two things… One, the position Shikamaru and I are in is slightly suggestive, and two, both Shikamaru and I both have minor erections right now.

It makes me get hot all over, even with the cool winds of spring blowing gently against me.

"Are you gonna take Shikamaru by force, Naruto?" Ino asks suggestively.

I guess she thinks Shikamaru is a submissive kind of guy… Wait! She just-

"… No!" I exclaim, and then quickly get off of him.

Does… does she suspect something is going on between us…? As she stares at me with those frosty blue eyes of hers, I feel my face warming up. It's like she can see through me or something…

"Don't tease him." Sakura-chan says with a giggle.

She looks at me seriously for a moment, and then turns back to continue conversing with Ino.

Shikamaru sits up on his elbows and shakes his head.

He motions for us to go somewhere more secluded, but I shake my head at him. It'd be too obvious. And no matter how much I want to be alone with him, I  _am_  waiting with Sakura-chan and Sai for Kakashi-sensei.

I lay back down in the grass, with my knees bent in the air to hide my slight problem, next to him. It's nice and not too obvious because we're not too close. At the same time, we're not too far apart.

Chouji makes his way over to us and sits down in front of me and Shikamaru.

"Hey Naruto. Hey Sakura." He smiles.

"Hi Chouji." Sakura-chan says.

"Got any snacks?" I ask, and then sit up. I don't even know why I have to ask.

"You know it!" he responds, and sticks his hand into his ninja pouch.

"Jeez, Chouji!" Ino complains, "I don't want to see you in the hospital again! Do you even have Ninja tools in there?!"

"Of course I do, Ino…"

Shikamaru sits up in Indian style, "We're off today. Give him a break."

"Hey! You're not the one who's gonna have to deal with him when he comes to the hospital complaining about his chest hurting! Tell 'em, Sakura!"

"Chouji… you could stand to snack a little less…" Sakura-chan says innocently.

"Ino, we're sharing if that counts…" I add.

"What would men do without women?" she said after sighing.

Shikamaru subtly nudged me in the side and I could tell exactly what he was getting at. We're together and have been okay so far. There  _are_  no women involved in this relationship of ours… Though I think Ino has a point. Without Sakura-chan, Tsunade-obaa-chan, or my mother, who I've only spent a few hours with, I don't think I could have made it this far.

I glance at Sakura-chan and smile. She reminds me of my mother so much… Everything about her is so awesome, well, apart from her anger flaws… They definitely have that in common…

I know I'll always have feelings for her. If I hadn't started dating Shikamaru, I would have eventually asked her out again. And I wouldn't have taken no for an answer… even though she usually doesn't say "no."

The girls start laughing, and Chouji joins them. Shikamaru crawls from beside me back into my sight, and Sai even walks over and sits down.

These are some of my closest friends. They've always been here, Chouji and Ino more or less, and I am thankful for them. Including Sasuke, I guess…

I glance over to the three standing logs down the hill and remember when he and Sakura-chan fed me during Kakashi-sensei's first training session.

Sasuke means a lot to me too… I wonder where he is right now, and what it is he's doing.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, you're so mega ultra late! No excuse you give will work this time!" I shout when he finally arrives at the training field, causing everyone to look in his direction.

It's evening now, which only furthers my point. He was supposed to be here hours ago!

When he comes up the hill, he looks at me, then Sakura-chan, and then he looks at Ino. Something about his face has a hint of… relief…

"Sorry… There was something I had to take care of. I'm just glad you're all here like I asked you to be."

"Kakashi-sensei, what's going on?" Sakura-chan asks.

"… I… I guess I can't keep it from you… You two are bound to find out anyway…" he answers, looking at her and me specifically.

"What is it?! Spill it already!" I shout.

All eyes are him. Kakashi-sensei closes his eye and sighs before speaking, "An ANBU squad spotted Sasuke roaming about in a town not far from the here."

"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura-chan says.

"Sasuke…" I comment.

"Yeah."

Shikamaru looks at me, and then turns back to Kakashi-sensei. "Are they sure it was him?"

"Yeah. Apparently he was travelling with the squad he'd originally formed after defeating Orochimaru."

"Wait… So that means Karin escaped?" I ask.

"Apparently… she was no real threat to the Leaf, so she was just given a small bounty upon leaving. I assume Ibiki went easy on her since she told us a bit about the Akatsuki before the war."

"We don't have time to waste! Let's go find him right now!" I say.

"I'm with Naruto!" Ino exclaims.

"No! You, Sakura, and Naruto are being confined to the village. I don't want any of your feelings clouding your judgment if you did see Sasuke. If any of you try to leave the village, I will have Yamato stop you. It's for your own good."

"But Sasuke-kun-"

"Sakura, what would you confronting Sasuke do? You'd only be putting your life in danger. You've been targeted by him on multiple occasions, and I won't, no, I  _can't_  have you going the way of… of… Please… you kids need to listen to me…"

Sakura and I look at each other. He's still torn up about what happened to his team… About Rin…

Shikamaru clears his throat, "I'll keep Naruto in line."

I stare at him, feeling a little betrayed by his words. How could he…? He knows exactly how Sasuke makes me feel! I want to bring him home!

It's what's best for him, and everyone else.

I look at Ino, who looks upset. Sakura-chan too. I understand Kakashi-sensei forbidding her from going after Sasuke. She doesn't have the power to stop him, and I definitely don't want to see her near death at his hands again, but I have what it takes to go up against Sasuke.

Shikamaru grabs my arm and looks at me seriously. I know what he's trying to say to me, but I don't want to hear it. I actually want to punch him right now for practically betraying me, but I can't… I could never raise a hand to him in anger.

I stare into his eyes, and for a moment, everything about this matter seemingly disappears.

"… Fine… I'll stay in the village…" I give in.

"Good." Kakashi-sensei says. He looks at Sakura-chan, "And what about you?"

She turns to me and then looks down to the grass, "I'll stay too…"

"Ino?"

"If… If Sakura and Naruto have had so much trouble with Sasuke, what could I accomplish by seeing him…?"

"Kakashi-sensei, what's going to happen next? Will the Leaf tail Sasuke, or leave him be?" Sai asks.

"I'm not sure. It's all up to Tsunade-sama."

"Is this why you made us wait here at the training field all day instead of letting us go about our daily schedules?" Sakura-chan asks.

"Yeah. I wanted to be the one to tell you two. I didn't want you finding out through rumors and then immediately try to do something hasty. I guess I'm lucky that Shikamaru's team was here, because Ino is in the same boat as you two."

"Kakashi-sensei…" I begin.

"I don't really have much else to discuss with you all, just please stay in the village. I'll be taking part in whatever Tsunade-sama decides, so I hope that'll give you all a little solace. I've got some things to take care of, so you're all free to go."

"Wai-"

Before I can say anything more, Kakashi-sensei disappears into a cloud of smoke.

It gets pretty quiet for a while… Shikamaru avoids looking at me, Sakura-chan is still staring glumly at the grass, Sai is sitting quietly while holding his sketchbook, Ino is hiding her face behind her bangs, and Chouji stopped eating.

"I hate to dismiss myself so abruptly, but I have a late meeting to attend." Sai comments.

"We should all probably go… it'd be better than just sitting around looking sad…" I say.

Sai stands up, then Ino and Chouji do the same.

"Sakura-chan… are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Naruto. Thanks…" she responds before standing up too.

"Naruto…" Shikamaru says softly.

I sigh, "Let's get going…"

I follow Sakura-chan closely as we leave. She seems so solemn. She's walking with her eyes glued to the ground, her expression is a regretful one, and she's holding her left arm. I hate seeing her like this. It tears me up to see her so down, especially about Sasuke. He's always doing whatever he wants and ignoring what his actions will do to those who care about him back home.

When I look up, I see that everyone else is a bit ahead of us, and Shikamaru looks back at me some of the way back to the main road of the village.

"Sakura-chan, I'll walk you home." I offer.

"I'm fine…" she claims.

"Sakura-chan, I just want to make sure you're okay. Let me walk you home."

She doesn't object, so I keep following after her. I'll visit Shikamaru later tonight. But right now, I've got a lot to think about. And Sakura-chan's safety comes first.

I hope he understands that my team still needs me. I also hope he understands that I'll always be there for him, even when things aren't so easy on me. It may take a little more time, but I  _will_  be there for him.

Right now though, I need to figure out what to do about Sasuke. I know staying in the village is what we've been instructed to do, but… I don't know if I can just sit back and do nothing…


	7. Departure

The walk to Sakura-chan's house is quiet. Too quiet.

We round a few corners and it soon becomes too much for me to take. So I turn and notice she is walking a little slower than usual. It's obvious she is kind of shaken up by the fact that Sasuke has been spotted relatively close to the village.

"S… Sakura-chan…" I say, and then stop walking altogether.

"Naruto…" she responds after turning to me, and then stops just a few paces ahead of me.

"Are you okay…? I know the whole Sasuke thing is getting to you."

Sakura-chan closes her eyes and looks down. Under the multi-colored evening sky, most of her facial features are hidden underneath a shadow. I wouldn't have noticed it if we were still walking, but a stray tear falls from her chin to the ground.

"Sakura-chan, are you-"

"Why, Naruto…? Why hasn't Sasuke come home to us, yet? He means the world to us and he knows that, but he continually avoids the Leaf village and everything about it..." She asks with a pained expression.

I don't know what to say. I can't think of anything to say to her because I don't know what's going on in Sasuke's mind. Even after he decided to leave the village in peace, I can't understand why he hasn't come back.

Seeing Sakura-chan crying like this rips me apart, puts me back together, and then rips me apart again. Of all the people in my life, her tears sting me the most. I know the promise between us is off, but I still want to bring Sasuke back, for Team Seven's sake. He's a Leaf ninja, whether he admits it or not.

I begin to lift my hands to bring her closer, but what she does in response surprises me.

Before I can even offer to do it, she runs into me and buries her face in my chest, letting the tears fall like a heavy rain on my jacket. "Sakura-chan, I don't know how, but I will bring Sasuke back. So you don't need to cry anymore."

"Naruto…! You're always… always putting yourself in harm's way… just for the people around you… How can you be so… selfless all the time…?" she sobs out.

"I'll always do that. It's just part of who I am. And for my team, for Team Seven, I'll make sure we're all laughing together again. Kakashi-sensei, you, Sasuke, and even Sai and Yamato. I just know it."

"Thank you, Naruto…"

"I… I'm going to leave the village tonight."

Sakura-chan looks up at me quickly, "B… But Kakashi-sensei said it's forbidden right now-"

"I know. But I can't just sit back like nothing is going on when Sasuke is right at my fingertips."

"I- I'll go with you!" she says.

"No. I want you to be here waiting for when I bring him back."

"… Naruto…"

"I'll be fine! I'm strong, after all!" I smile, trying to reassure her and myself at the same time.

She doesn't say anything. She just looks down at my zipper, her expression an unreadable one.

"Same old Naruto." I hear Sai say.

I turn around, and Sakura-chan looks over my shoulder to see him approaching.

"Sai…" I mutter.

"It's against Kakashi-sensei's orders for you to leave the village. And Lady Fifth wants you to stay as well…"

"Do you intend to stand in my way?" I ask him. His words lead me to believe he's going to do just that.

"No, I will not stop you. Actually, I want to go with you."

"Sai?" Sakura-chan says, her voice full of surprise.

I don't know how to respond. I just can't take Sai and Sakura-chan with me. I don't want them getting mixed up in a fight if Sasuke and I don't share a similar opinion about him coming home.

Assertively, Sakura-chan steps back and looks at me, "If Sai goes, I'm going too!"

She looks so determined.

I can't… I can't let them go… but there's no way for me to stop them or change their minds.

"Fine. You two can come, but you have to stay behind me." I turn and stare Sai in the eye, "You'll have to keep Sakura-chan safe while we're out. If things get dangerous, you take her and fly away."

"Understood." He responds.

"Okay. We'll meet at the gate at eight o'clock. Be prepared to fight, because if we get spotted, they won't let us go easily. Especially not Tsunade-obaa-chan…"

What she would do to us for attempting something like this… What she would do to  _me_  for  _leading_  this operation… I'd hate to think of how long I'd be in the hospital for, even with Kurama and Sakura-chan helping me heal.

"Sai, will you take Sakura-chan home? I have to go get ready. And there's something I need to pick up."

"Of course. We'll meet you at the gate at the designated time." He says.

Without another word, we go our separate ways.

* * *

I look up at the stars appearing in the sky as I make my way to my house. At first, I was on the fence about Sakura-chan coming. But if Sai is coming too, I know he'll be able to keep her out of the crossfire of Sasuke's and my battle… if it comes to that.

Just before I can stick my key into the keyhole on my front door, I am frozen in place. I look down, and between my feet I can see a shadow extending from my own.

"Shikamaru…"

"Naruto… I… I'm sorry about earlier… I didn't mean to make you upset."

"It's okay. I'm not mad. I mean, I was at first, but I'm fine now. You want to keep me safe and I understand that."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Can you let me go? I have some things to take care of…"

"Not if you're going after Sasuke." He says.

I'm surprised. How did he know I was leaving? Or…  _did_  he know I was leaving?

"Shikamaru, what are you talking about…?"

Shikamaru releases his hold on me and then grabs me from behind in a tight, warm hug.

"I thought you were going to leave the village to go after Sasuke. I wouldn't want you putting yourself in danger like that. If I lost you over something like that…"

I reach up and put my hands on his arms. They're so sturdy around my torso. I feel so bad keeping my plan from him, but I know he'd try to stop me. I need to see Sasuke again. I feel like when I do, my voice will reach him. I know what to say to him to convince him to come back home to the Leaf.

"Hey, Shika. Do you think Sasuke will ever come back?" I ask.

"… I don't know… If he did, he could probably rebuild the old Uchiha mansion and live there."

I turn in Shikamaru's embrace and press my lips against his gently before I slowly reach into my ninja pouch.

"Naruto, can I stay over again tonight?" he asks, lips still pressed against mine.

"Of course." I say.

In fact, I'll bring him in once I've taken care of him.

I pull out a sleeping smoke bomb, but before I can drop it on the ground, Shikamaru grabs my hand and holds it shut with a tight grip.

He moved from my lips to right on my ear, "I'm not as easy to take out as you think." He said.

"I… Shika…"

"Why were you planning to put me to sleep?"

"… Because I was planning to go after Sasuke…"

"Naruto-"

"I'm going to be okay. So don't try to stop me, okay?"

It takes a few seconds for anything to happen, and as soon as I get antsy, I feel Shikamaru's warm embrace leave me.

"Please, please understand-"

"I… Naruto… I can't-"

Instead of putting Shikamaru to sleep with the sleeping smoke ball, I pull out a light bomb and toss it to the ground. I know that way he won't be able to stop me by restraining me with his shadow.

While he falls to his knees while covering his eyes, temporarily blinded by the bright light, I run into my house and grab what I went there for and then quickly make a break in the direction of Sakura-chan's house.

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru!" I call out to him. I really am. But right now, I have to deal with my team. Especially the one who's been a rogue for the past few years.

* * *

"Sakura-chaaan!" I shout at her front door, and then ring the doorbell impatiently.

I hear footsteps approaching fast, and then the door unlocks and opens.

It's Sakura-chan's mother, Mebuki.

"Oh, it's you, Naruto! How are you dear?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I hate to rush you, but I came to pick Sakura-chan up. We have somewhere to go. Is she home?"

"Of course she is! Oh Sakura! Naruto is here for you!" she turns and calls.

"Naruto?" her father asks, and then comes down the stairs excitedly. "Well well, look who it is! Here to take Sakura out on a date, are you?" he asks suggestively.

"Honey! Stop it or you'll embarrass the poor boy!"

"It's okay… We're not-"

"And don't even get me started on Sakura. If she even  _thinks_  you're talking about her love life, she'll get defensive." Ms. Mebuki says, and then sighs.

"Both of you can be so embarrassing…" Sakura-chan comments as she hurries down the stairs into the foyer. She takes a seat and puts on her boots before grabbing her medical pouch and then walking past the two of them. Even after that trip to the alternate universe, she still finds her parents a bother. But I can tell that she does really love them in spite of their many flaws. They  _can_  be pretty embarrassing, I could tell that when I first met them…

"Sakura, be careful!" her mother calls.

"We love you, dear!" Mr. Kizashi adds.

"Yeah, I love you guys, too!" Sakura-chan replies. "Hey Naruto," she says once she exits her house, "I thought you said we were leaving later tonight. Why are we going now?" she asks.

I take her by the hand and then walk in the direction of the front gate.

"I… uh… thought we'd better go now while there's still some daylight. Beginning a journey at dark is a bit unnerving for me."

"Oh. Okay. Well let's rendezvous with Sai then."

"I'm up here."

Both Sakura-chan and I look up in the sky and see Sai sitting on the back of one of his super beast hawks.

"Sai! We have to go!" I say.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sai pulls out his scroll and paintbrush, "Ninpo: Choju Giga!" he says, and then forms the hand sign to summon them.

Two hawks swoop down and pick me and Sakura-chan up off the ground, leading us up to where he is.

"Are we ready to get going?" Sai asks.

I look at Sakura-chan, who looks back at me with a confident look on her face. "I'm ready anytime!" she says.

"Me too! Let's burn some rubber, Sai!"

"Right."

"I don't think that expression is appropriate here, Naruto." Sakura-chan says.

"Well, whatever! Let's go after Sasuke!" I reply, and then turn and look back to the village below when we get up high enough from it. When I look back to my apartment complex, I see Shikamaru standing on the roof of it, staring right at me with his arms folded.

I feel bad for leaving him, but he never would have let me go if I'd told him about my plan. If I can bring Sasuke back, I know things will work out for everyone. And what's more, I won't be inclined to leave the village in search of him anymore.

"Just wait, Shikamaru. We're gonna be happy together soon. I promise." I mumble under my breath.

And I truly believe that.


	8. Taka's Last Mission

I swear…

I can't go anywhere without someone making a fuss about me. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Getting away from squealing girls who are pestering me is easy. Getting away from ninja who are seeking some kind of vengeance is another matter. Especially where innocent people who get in the way are concerned.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?"

I look up and see Karin holding her hand out to me, offering to help stand.

"I'm fine." I say, energy depleted.

I just need a minute to catch my breath.

Suigetsu and Jugo are standing on the opposite end of the cave we took shelter in at its entrance. We're hiding out right now because we ran into some Cloud ninja, or, they ran into us, about an hour ago who insisted that I go with them.

Well, Sasuke Uchiha isn't usually one to take orders from people, especially not worms from the Hidden Cloud village. You can imagine this led to a battle.

In the restaurant we had been in, minding our own business mind you, those guys insisted on taking us on. We defeated them without much effort, but they had called in reinforcements before the battle even started. The obnoxious Eight Tails Jinchuriki, that bleach blonde guy Suigetsu fought at the Venue of the Five Kage, and the annoying blonde medical ninja who uses light style jutsu were all quick to arrive and assist them. Thanks to Karin, we managed to sense them coming and weren't taken by surprise.

It took quite a lot of effort, but I managed to detain the Eight Tails. Suigetsu defeated that bleach blonde guy with the sword, but he didn't kill him on my order. And Jugo dealt a lethal blow to the medical ninja. I was pretty glad to see him crying out in pain… I should have erased him when I caught him in a genjustu at the Five Kage Summit.

Another one I should have taken out was that faint-hearted, annoying kid with the glasses who was of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I don't too much like it when underlings stand up to me, and I especially hate when they knock me into a trap of corrosive acid.

Back to the point, I left the Cloud ninja alive and apologized to the restaurant owners before we left. Who knows what their condition is now. Considering there was a medical ninja among them, I figure they're still alive.

The only reason I had my team withdraw was because we were in a populated area. I don't know what the Eight Tails would have done if we got him mad again. There were too many innocent people around to let him transform.

If I'm honest, I think most of us are still out of energy from that fight… So that's also part of the reason I withdrew.

"Karin, is anyone coming after us?!" Suigetsu shouted.

"Hey, don't yell at me, Suigetsu!" she screamed back at him.

Honestly… those two are just as noisy as Naruto and Sakura. Stealth is obviously not any of their strongest feats as shinobi.

Well, looking at Karin, I guess she does okay in that department. That's mostly how she managed to survive this long… along with a stroke of luck that was Sakura stopping me from murdering her all that time ago.

"Keep it down you two. We're going to wait here for a while and get our strength back. After that, we're moving out." I say, keeping my composure. I have to break up their little fights more than I'd like to and it irks me sometimes to always have to be the one to do it.

"Where are we going?" Jugo asked.

"I have something to take care of… Once I've finished…" I paused. I don't think I need to say it.

Our days as Taka are numbered. We'll probably all split up once I've gone back to the Uchiha hideout to collect the things I'm looking for.

"In any case, let's pay attention to what's going on around us. I don't sense any chakras coming this way, but that doesn't mean we're in the clear just yet." Karin said.

Suigetsu thrust his blade into the ground and sat down.

It became very quiet, which is when a bird came and landed on Jugo's shoulder and he started speaking with it. When it flew away, he turned and looked at me. "The birds said the Cloud ninja fell for our ploy with the shadow clones."

It was Karin's idea. Summoning shadow clones and having them stick close to the area where we fought, and then when one of them was spotted by the enemy, have it flee in the opposite direction we went in.

I like that idea because I'm not in the mood to fight a tailed beast right now. Nor do I have the chakra for it. Detaining the Eight Tails without anyone dying took a heavy toll on my reserves, after all.

"You can undo the jutsu." I tell Karin.

"Right." Lifting her hands, she forms the hand sign to undo the shadow clone technique.

She has a plentiful amount of chakra, like Naruto, since they are both of the Uzumaki clan. She was the perfect choice to cast the jutsu because of that, and due to the fact that she didn't fight at the restaurant in the first place. Apart from sensing, her chakra is probably in tip top shape.

Suigetsu smirked in our direction. "Karin is so full of tricks. I guess it takes a trick to know a-"

In an instant, Karin is over to him and pounding away at his face. It's a good thing he can change into water, otherwise, he wouldn't look the same as he did when we first started traveling together.

I shake my head and lean back against the wall of the cave. My chakra is returning, so we won't have to be here much longer. Thankfully.

"Everyone just calm down…" I say. Again, they're at each other's throats. One thing about Naruto and Sakura that I liked was that they could at least get along. These two can't go ten minutes without actually fighting.

I close my eyes and sigh. Honestly, a nap would be nice right about now. That'd help my chakra return, too…

…

When I wake up, the first thing I see is Karin sitting a few feet away from me with her knees up at her chest and her hands on top of her feet. I look around and see that Suigetsu is asleep, now more inside the cave than before. Jugo, however, is not in the cave at all.

"Where did Jugo go?" I ask Karin.

"He went for a walk. The birds are talking to him, so I guess they would tell him if those Cloud ninja were coming… though I doubt it considering they fell for or ploy."

After looking outside and seeing how much darker it is, I sigh gently. "… It looks like it's evening now."

"Yup. You've been asleep for a few hours. Feeling better?"

"Much." I reply, and then stand up.

I pick my cloak up from the ground and then put it on before walking outside.

The evening sky is a multitude of colors, orange, violet, dark blue, pink… It's really relaxing to just look up at it sometimes.

As best I can, I try sensing for any sign of unfamiliar chakra in the area. I know my range isn't as far as Karin's, but still, I like to know for myself. Besides, why not give it a shot?

"…" There's no one in the area besides my group. I guess they gave up after a while of not finding us. Great. Because I didn't feel like dealing with them, anyway. I have an important task at hand and I can't let anyone get in my way.

Karin comes out of the cave and walks over to me. "Sasuke… We're… *sigh* You're going to leave us soon, aren't you?"

I turn to her. "I don't know. There isn't much reason for us to travel together much longer now, is there?"

"… I know… but…"

"You could go always back to the Leaf. I'm sure you'd be fine there."

"What makes you so sure!?"

"Well, you haven't done much to warrant any punishment. Besides joining the Akatsuki, your slate is pretty clean."

"… You're so insensitive sometimes."

"What?!" I say. Sheesh. I try to offer her an alternative to her homelessness, and she gets mad at me about it…?

As soon as I hear footsteps, I turn and see Jugo coming our way. "Are you ready to move out, Sasuke?" he asks.

"Yeah. Karin, go get Suigetsu so we can get on the move again."

"Right." She says, and then heads back to the cave.

Jugo looks up to the sky and sighs. "Sasuke…"

"Hm?"

"You know… I've come so far because of you. I don't know where I'll go if we all split up."

"I know, Jugo. I'll try to find a solution that's best for everyone, I promise."

"Okay."

"YAAAAGH!"

I immediately turn at the sound of Suigetsu's scream echoing from inside the cave. Karin must not have been so gentle with him when waking him up.

She walks out of the cave and throws her cloak around her before coming up next to me. "Let's go…" she mutters.

"One of these days, Karin! One of these days I'm going to get you good!" Suigetsu threatens as he comes out of the cave, his face dripping and trying to reform itself.

"So where exactly are we going?" Jugo asks, not bothered by them.

"I'm going to the Uchiha hideout. There's some things there I don't want to leave lying around since I'm going to rebuild my clan."

"Who's the lucky lady who you picked to rebuild you clan with?" Suigetsu asks, nosy as usual.

"That's not important at the moment. All that is important is that we keep on our toes and don't run into anymore enemies who'll push us from our goal. Karin, be extra sensitive to chakras until we reach our destination." I say, then turn and head in the direction of the hideout.

"Of course." Karin responds.

With all three of them walking behind me, I can't see their faces. That's best for now because I don't have the answer for any of them. I know Jugo and Karin don't want to split up, and I can't imagine what Suigetsu will do if we did. But for right now, there's a mission for us to complete. I'll cross the bridge of splitting up when I come to it.


	9. Back Where He Belongs

I wake from my sleep with a large yawn, wiping my eyes and stretching my arms before sitting up. Pulling back the curtain next to my bed, I'm faced with the rising sun, which is too bright considering I just woke up, so I release it and put my hands over my eyes as anyone would when faced with light that bright.

I drop my hands after a few seconds, and then sigh because of how lonely it's been…

Three days.

It's been three days since Naruto left the village in search of Sasuke with his team.

I would have gone after him, but the guards at the gate weren't having that. When I talked to Tsunade-sama, she told me I'd best wait here in the village, and was pretty curious about my want to chase after Naruto. She said since a lot of our Chunin and Jonin were out on missions, the rest of us needed to stay here in the village.

"…"

I'm upset. I'm angry. I'm a bit depressed. But most of all… I'm a little hurt that Naruto would pull a stunt like he did to get out of the village. If anything… I would have gone with him to make sure he was safe. Sai and Sakura are good companions, but against Sasuke and his team, who knows what could happen? I want to be there to make sure he's alright. Plus, Sai and Sakura are pretty decent people. I wouldn't want anything to happen to them, either.

"Shikamaru! If you're awake, breakfast is ready!" I hear my mother call from the kitchen, which is four rooms away from mine. That goes to show just how noisy she can be in the morning.

With another sigh, I toss my sheets back and get out of bed. After grabbing up a pair of pants and a white long-sleeved shirt with my clan's emblem on the back of it from the closet, I leave my room. Before I go face my mother, I need to perform my morning routine, which consists of washing my face, brushing my teeth, showering, and pulling my hair up into a ponytail. The only time I wear my hair down is when I sleep. Most people have never even seen it in anything but my ponytail.

Anyway, once all of that is done, I head into the kitchen where she is waiting for me.

"Well good morning, Shikamaru." She greets from her seat at the table, and then takes a sip from her cup of coffee.

"Morning, mom." I say, before walking over to the stove and fixing myself a plate of the meal she prepared.

When I take a seat across from her, she smiles at me. "I heard you'll be working at the Intel Department today."

"Something like that." I respond, then start eating my food.

"Isn't that where that Shiho girl works? I think she has a thing for you, you know… Maybe you should take her out sometime."

"I'm not really interested in her in that way…" I say, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Why not? She seems like a sweet girl."

"I'm not saying she's not. I just don't feel that way about her."

"Hmm… Well, what about Ino? She seems like the perfect girl for you. Nice, pretty, able to put her foot down when necessary… Kind of like me."

"Mom-"

"Or that girl from the Sand Village! What was her name? Temari! What ever happened between you two-"

"MOM!"

"What?!" she asks, like she's the victim here.

"Can I just… eat in peace…? I've got a lot going on, and I can't be concerning myself with useless things like that."

Gosh, I miss dad… If he were here, he'd at least give me some backup. Or, he would be the one she'd be nagging...

"Useless!? What part of the woman you'll be spending the rest of your life with is  _useless_?!"

"… The whole idea…"

"Shikamaru! What on earth do you mean by that?!" she asks, slamming her cup of coffee onto the table and making a mess in the process.

"What I mean is I'm not interested in wo-"

*DING DONG*

Both me and my mom are frozen as the sound of the doorbell echoes through the house. She is staring at me with a confused look on her face, her eyes still piercing through me even despite that. Me, I'm trying not to choke on the food I was chewing. I can't believe what I almost told her!

It's not so much that I'm afraid of how she'll react, I'm just not sure how to tell her she won't be getting any grandchildren…

She'll probably try pressuring me with the fact that I'm the only one who can carry on Dad's legacy, but I don't want to hear that. So I've kept my sexuality from her… and everyone else apart from Choji and Naruto.

Besides, there are other men in our clan who are perfectly capable of reproducing.

*DING DONG* *DING DONG*

"I'll get it." I say, after wiping my mouth with a napkin. Standing from the table, I'm quick to turn and head for the front door.

The moment I'm out of the kitchen, I feel a lot of pressure leave me. I always get stressed when I talk to my mom…

I reach the foyer and open the front door, only to find Ino standing on my porch. "Ino?" I say. "What are you doing here? We're don't have a mission or anything. And your shift at work is the day shift…" I continue.

"Shikamaru…" she begins.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I was in Tsunade-sama's office a few minutes ago and Kotetsu-san came in and said Naruto and his team have returned to the village."

I feel my heart nearly jump from my chest. "Is he- I mean, are they alright?!" I ask.

"I think so. She said for them to be sent to her office, and that's when I left. I thought I'd tell you about it…"

"Why me?"

"Well… Sakura called me right before they left and told me to come tell you when they got back. I don't know why she did, though. She wouldn't give me a reason, just said if I find out, I should tell you."

"Thanks for doing that, Ino." I say. I'll concern myself with Sakura and her motives later.

As quickly as possible, I put on my shoes and leave the house, heading to Tsunade-sama's office.

"I'm coming too!"

I turn and see Ino following behind me. That's fine. I just… need to see Naruto again. I need to know he's safe!

* * *

For nine o'clock in the morning, there are a lot of ninja in the lobby of the Hokage mansion. When I get inside, it takes me a few minutes to get through them all to the stairs so I can get up to Tsunade-sama's office.

"You could have waited for me!" Ino shouts from the bottom of the stairwell. I'd slipped through some of the people who were in our way, but she chose to go around them.

"Sorry, Ino!" I reply, and then go into the hallway without her.

Walking fast, I feel my heart beating like crazy. Naruto is back. So much could have happened to him. And it's been so long since I held him last. I can't help this adrenaline rush I'm feeling right now.

As soon as I get to Tsunade-sama's door, I'm shocked when something orange flies through it and crashes into the wall across from it.

I look down and see that it's Naruto.

"Naruto!" I shout.

He looks up to me, holding the bruise on his cheek, which I assume Tsunade-sama gave him, with those blue eyes of his. "Shikamaru!" he says.

"What's going on!? Why did he just fly through the door?!" Ino calls as she finally catches up to me.

"DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH DANGER YOU PUT YOURSELVES IN?! I EXPECT THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR FROM NARUTO, BUT NOT FROM EITHER OF YOU!" We hear Tsunade-sama yell, her voice as vigorous as ever.

"I apologize. I will accept any punishments you see fit." Sai's monotonous voice echoes.

"Me too… I'm so sorry for disobeying you, Tsunade-sama. But… we had to try and find Sasuke-kun to convince him to come home." Sakura says.

"That's not enough reason to just disobey orders and leave the village!"

"I said it was my fault!" Naruto calls out, trying to get up from the pile of rubble around him on the floor.

I bend down and help him up, taking his soft hand into mine so he can use me for support.

"Sakura, you'd better make up for your missed shifts at the hospital in double the hours. Sai and Naruto, I'll let Kakashi deal with you two! Now get out of my office before I take your punishments into my own two hands!" Tsunade-sama roars.

Sakura and Sai both bow, then exit through the broken threshold coming out into the hallway.

Naruto stands up to his full height, with my help, still holding his cheek. The three of them, plus Ino and I, make our way down the hall and to the stairs in silence.

I can't help but notice Sakura subtly watching how close I am to Naruto.

"I'm sorry, you guys." Naruto says once we're out of earshot from Tsunade-sama. "This is all my fault."

"Naruto, we went with you knowing the consequences." Sakura responds, looking him in the eye.

"Don't think this is your fault alone. I helped you two get out of the village. Had it not been for me, you two never would have left and this wouldn't be happening." Sai adds.

"Sakura, I'll join you at the hospital later this evening when my shift at the Intel Division is over." Ino chimes in.

"You don't have to-"

"It's okay. We need to talk, anyway." She says.

I ignore it, assuming it's just going to be another round of their gossiping.

When we all get out of the mansion and Sai and the girls go on about their business, I grab hold of Naruto by the arm.

He turns and looks at me confusedly. "Shika-"

"Come with me, Naruto." I interrupt, and then start walking.

…

"Shikamaru, what are you doing?" Naruto asks once we are out of sight in the trees surrounded by the stairs Lee trained on when he was injured.

Without thinking, I lean forward and grab him into a hug. "Naruto, I'm so glad you're okay." I say, while squeezing him tightly in my arms.

"Oh… Right… I… I'm sorry for leaving you the way I did." He says, returning my hug and burying his nose in my shirt.

I remember what he's talking about and then let go of him slowly. "Yeah. Don't do that again, baka."

"Please don't scold me, Shikamaru! I got enough from Tsunade-obaa-chan, and I'm sure Kakashi-sensei and Yamato will let me have it when they see me."

I can't think of anything to say. All I can do is stare at that red, swollen bruise on his cheek. Tsunade-sama hit him, but I understand she did it out of care. She was probably worried when she found out Naruto had taken Sakura and Sai on a mission to find Sasuke.

Leaning forward, I press my lips against it soothingly. Then I put my hands on his shoulders and pull him up against me again. "Naruto… You know… I…"

I can't finish my statement. I don't want to drive him away with what I've been feeling for him.

"Shikamaru, I'm glad you're here for me, ya know..."

"I'm glad to be here for you. And I'm glad you're with me." I say, feeling unusually emotional. Seeing him blush in the shade under the trees only adds to it.

"Can we maybe spend the day together?" he asks, sticking his hands into the pockets on my pants.

"I'd love to… but I have work at the Intel Division since my team has been kept in the village for the last few days."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. Maybe we can spend tonight together. What's your shift?"

"One to eight. I don't have long before I head over there. If you want, I can come over to your place later tonight. And I might be able to get tomorrow off, so we can go on a date again."

"Heehee, sounds good to me!" he grins excitedly.

"Alright." I smile back.

Seeing him smiling again... it really makes me happy. I'm glad he's back in the village, safe with me where he belongs.


	10. Sweet Cherry Blossom

Since I'm used to walking through the village alone, doing so today is no biggie.

All the villagers and other ninja are busy doing one thing or another, so they ignore me as I pass them by. I say 'ignore' because I can't help but feel like since I got with Shikamaru everyone's been watching me closely. He would probably just tell me I'm being paranoid, though.

And unfortunately, he is busy at work at the Intel Department right now. Sakura-chan is probably at the hospital making up for her missed shifts. Sai said he would report back to ROOT when we split up so he could see if there was any work he needed to do. Heck, even Ino and Choji are busy today.

So, to my displeasure, I'm alone.

As people continue to pass me by, I can't help but feel a need to go somewhere and do something productive. Most of all, I think I'm just really bored.

"N-naruto-kun?"

At the familiar sound of Hinata calling out to me from behind, I turn around and see her walking my way.

"Hinata?"

"Good afternoon, Naruto-kun." She says, and then starts twiddling her fingers when she reaches me.

"What's up? What are you doing wandering around?" I ask, assuming there's some training she would be doing this time of day.

"I was… um… getting a few things in the market. Kiba-kun should be arriving to meet me soon…"

"Kiba?! Hey! Are you two going on a date?!" I say, now much more interested in what she's doing.

Looking a bit shocked, she immediately turned her gaze down to her feet. "No, nothing like that! He and I were going to visit Kurenai-sensei. These things are for her, you see…" she says, lifting her bag. I hadn't even noticed she was holding it when she came up to me…

After I take a second to think, I remember that Kurenai-sensei is someone Shikamaru cherishes a lot. Well, her and that baby she had for Asuma-sensei. He brought me to see her once when she was pregnant, and also really helped me feel better about Pervy-Sage's death.

Him going out of his way to get me and cheer me up like that was a really cool thing he did, and I'll never forget it.

"Um, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata calls, making me realize I was in the middle of a conversation.

"Sorry, Hinata! I drifted off there for a second…"

"Oh, it's fine! Really!"

"No, it's not. I'm sorry for letting my mind wander like that. It was rude."

"…"

"Do you want me to wait for Kiba with you?" I offer, figuring that may be why she's not moving from her spot.

"Oh! Well… you don't have to-"

"There you are, Hinata!"

Obnoxious as ever, Kiba comes walking over to the two of us with Akamaru trailing behind him, as he usually does.

"Kiba-kun!"

"Hey, how's it going? And what's Naruto doing here?"

"I was… just going to visit someone." I say. Now that he's here, I push the lurking thought of going to see Kurenai-sensei from my mind.

"Oh yeah? And who's that? I can't imagine it'd be Shikamaru." Kiba says, folding his arms suspiciously.

"Wh- why not Shikamaru?!" I retort, nervous as ever. Does he know about us somehow?

"'Cuz you smell just like him, baka! You probably just saw him, baka. Jeez, take a moment to think about stuff before getting all loud…"

I can't help but feel that's a funny thing to hear from him.

"Well I wasn't going to say Shikamaru, anyway! I'm going to see Sakura-chan at the hospital!"

It's funny how my mind automatically jumps to finding Sakura-chan. But I don't mind, really. I might as well spend my free time with her to maybe help her out a bit, considering it  _is_  my fault she's working so hard right now.

"Hmph! You do that then! Let's get going, Hinata." Kiba orders, and then starts walking off.

"Right. Well… see you later, Naruto-kun." She says, before following after him and Akamaru.

As they leave, I can't help but wonder where Shino is…

Eh, he's probably already at Kurenai-sensei's place.

Turning and facing the direction the hospital is in, I smile knowing I'm going to see Sakura-chan.

* * *

"Naruto?"

"Hey Sakura-chaaan!" I smile, waving in an admittedly stupid manner to her from the front desk in the lobby of the hospital.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, coming up to me with a clipboard in her arms.

"Oh, well I was kind of hoping to spend some time with you."

"Why? I'm at work. If you want a date-"

"No, no. I mean, I want to help you out. It's my fault you have to work so hard. At least let me assist you as much as I can!" I say, confident and beaming. Maybe I can look like a hero to her because of how determined I am, hee hee. After all, I don't think she saw my grand entrance when I came back from Sage training to fight against Pain. Knowing her, I was probably the last person on her mind when the village was destroyed anyway.

"Naruto, I can't babysit you. We've got a handful of infected patients, some who desperately need surgery, and others who need assistance in rehabilitation. So-"

"Sakura-chan, don't be so cold! I can help you!"

After seriously thinking my offer over, she seems to give in. "… Hm, fine then. Come with me." She says.

When she starts walking to the stairs, I follow after her with a big grin on my face. I'm always happy to help her out.

* * *

Falling onto my butt up on the roof of the hospital, I sigh heavily in the cool breeze.

Sheesh! I guess I should have just let Sakura-chan handle this...

Honestly, I didn't realize working at the hospital took so much effort! Even the smallest tasks they have turned out to be much larger when I actually started doing them…

Right now I'm up here hanging sheets on the lines because Sakura-chan has gone into surgery. I'm not permitted to join in on that since I have no experience, so she told me to find something else to do until she was finished. This job seemed to be the easiest one, so I saved it for last. But honestly, it's proved to be nothing but a pain.

Pulling a wet blanket from the white basket, I flap it out in the breeze, and then hang it on the line. I have a bag of clothespins at my waist because even I know clothes on the line need to be fastened so they don't blow away. I do all my own laundry, after all.

"Naruto!"

Oh shit!

Running over to the fence border along the edges of the roof, I am horrified to see Kakashi-sensei making his way over on top of the next building over that's a few stories shorter than the one I'm on.

"Ka-kakashi-sensei?!" I shout, and then take a few steps back when he jumps into the sky.

Landing next to me effortlessly, he pulls out a book from his pouch and takes a seat against the small cement wall that serves as a foundation for the fences up here.

"I see you're busy." He says.

"What are you… Have you uh- have you seen Tsunad-obaa-chan today?"

"I have. She filled me in on your little mission to find Sasuke, and I was coming to talk to you about your punishment."

"…"

"But… I can see you've been working hard today. I guess you decided to help Sakura?"

"Yeah."

"I've been around her once or twice while she was at work here. I know she can be a tough superior, and the jobs are not easy to accomplish, either. So just continue helping her. That will be punishment enough for now. I'll talk to Yamato about this when I see him."

"… Great…"

"By the way, where's Sai?"

"He's with the ROOT division, probably. Why?"

"Well, he's at fault in this situation too. So I'll get him to help you and Sakura. Working here is definitely no easy task, so it's a win-win."

"How do you figure that?" I ask with a slightly irritated look. There's nothing win-win about all this work to me… well… I guess impressing Sakura-chan is an accomplishment for me.

"The three of you are being punished, and that punishment is to help others. So it's not really a win-win for you, but for me and the patients here, it is."

Surprisingly, that makes sense. But Sakura-chan works here all the time. I wonder if she gets paid to do this tiresome work… Today has been hell!

"Are you just going to read up here?" I ask, turning back to my task.

"Well, I'm kind of avoiding Guy at the moment. My book is getting really interesting, so I don't have time to carry on our rivalry today." He answers, not even looking at me because he's so absorbed in his book. For such a serious and man, he sure has his weakness in romance novels.

Picking up another blanket from the laundry basket, I shake my head. "Enjoy your book."

"I will. I'm being very productive today, and I don't even need to stop reading to do it." He said, and then smiled underneath his mask.

Oh Kakashi-sensei… Same as he's always been.

* * *

Once all the laundry is hung out on the line, I go back inside in search of something else to do. It took me about forty minutes to complete that task, but considering Shikamaru doesn't get off until eight, I have a lot more time to kill.

Walking to the front desk again, I ask the lady who is busy filing things if there is anything else on the to-do list for today.

"You're that boy helping Sakura, huh? She should be getting out of surgery in a few minutes. Since there aren't any other chores to do at the moment, you could just go and wait for her. You look exhausted."

"… Kay. Thanks ma'am." I am disappointed there isn't much more to do, but she is right. I'm kind of worn out now.

"No problem." She says, and then gets back to her filing.

Just as I make to go down the hallway, Sai enters through the front doors of the hospital.

"Sai!"

"Hello, Naruto." He greets with a small smile.

"What are you doing here? Come to steal my thunder in helping Sakura-chan?"

"No, there's no thunder stealing going on here. But yes, I did come to help out. I just got finished making a report to ROOT about my absence. Since there was nothing else to do after that, I was told to come here."

"Well, the more the merrier, I guess. Sakura-chan is about to come out of surgery. So you can come wait for her with me."

"Sure."

On that note, we both head to the waiting room for surgery patients.

* * *

"Oi! Sakura-chan! Are you okay?!" I shout when I notice how much blood is smeared on her medical robe as she comes out of the surgery room.

"I'm fine, Naruto. And so is the patient. I was just about to go change back into my clothes, so don't go anywhere." She replies with red cheeks. I think she's embarrassed because the people waiting, who I assume are the patient's family, all looked when I shouted to her.

"Naruto." Sai calls when the waiting room fills with conversation again.

"Yeah?"

"How are things in the romance department for you?"

"W-what a sudden thing to ask!" I say defensively.

"Well… you and Sakura seem like you're the same as you've always been. Are you two together now?"

"Sai, I… I do still have strong feelings for Sakura-chan… that will never change. But… I think for now we're better off as friends. I'm not sure what the future holds for us… nevertheless, I'll find out as time goes by. Right now though, there's someone else in my life. And I like them a lot."

"Is that so…? Is it Sasuke perhaps?"

"What?! No! We  _just_  went  _looking_  for him! How could I be with him?!"

"That doesn't mean you can't love him."

"It's not Sasuke!"

"Then, is it Shikamaru?"

Feeling my cheeks go warm and my jaw drop, I try to play it off that he's hit the nail on the head. "Don't be crazy! He and I are just friends, ya know! And why do you automatically assume it's a  _guy_?!"

Bringing his hand up to his chin, Sai seriously thinks about that for a moment. "Hmm, I'm entirely not sure. Apart from Sakura and that Harem justu of yours, I've never known you to show interest in any girls… So I've always taken you as someone who plays for both teams." He replies.

"Where did you hear that expression?!"

"In a book I read."

Of course…

"Well, don't go assuming things!" Even  _if_  they are perfect assumptions…

Sakura-chan walks into the waiting room and motions for us to come over. Perfect timing.

Without hesitation, I get up and walk over to her, leaving Sai alone on the couch.

"What's up?" I ask with a smile.

"Have you finished your tasks?" she asks in response.

"Yup! I told you I'd help, and I did! Now I'm all yours!"

"Good. Ino is coming in a bit. So we can all work together for a while. But you guys don't have to stay much longer if you don't want to."

Sai stands up and makes his way over to us before speaking. "Considering I just got here and haven't done anything, I'd say I won't be leaving anytime soon. This is my punishment as well."

"Punishment?" Sakura-chan asks. "You were only doing this because you were  _forced_  to?!" she says to me.

"What?! No! I promise!"

"Oh yeah?"

"I'm serious! Kakashi-sensei caught me working and said this would be a fitting punishment. But it started off with my genuine want to help you out, Sakura-chan!"

"Hmph. If you say so… Anyway, let's get to the rehabilitation wing. You can both help the patients there, I'm sure."

"Right!"

"Roger!"

* * *

When Ino arrived, she took up a good bit of Sakura-chan's time and attention. It took so much effort to just get a word in with her when they were together. One time, they both took a break at the same time and didn't come back for about forty minutes. That really makes me wonder what they were talking about, because I know they love to gossip.

But it's nearing seven now, and I'm so glad for that. I can finally go home and get ready to see Shikamaru.

The thought gets me energized, so I use that energy to help my assigned patient to stand from her bed.

"Oi, Naruto! You can't be so rough with the patients!" Ino says angrily as she looks up from some papers she was reading.

She puts them down, comes over to me, tells me to move out of her way, and then helps the girl walk across the room.

I stand and watch, thinking how easy that would have been if she would have just let me do it… or finish what I started at least.

"Naruto," Sakura-chan calls, and then comes over to me. "While Ino and Sai have this covered, can I talk to you?" she asks.

"Sure! What's up?"

"Follow me."

"Kay." I say.

She walks me out into the hallway and closes the door behind her. I can't help but feel like she wants some privacy with me.

Walking over to the wall opposite the door, she leans against it and puts her hands behind her back.

"Naruto…"

"Sakura-chan, are you okay? You seem a little… worried about something."

"Worried? Me? No, I'm fine."

"Then-"

"I wanted to ask you something very serious. And be truthful with me, all right?"

"Anything!"

Taking a deep breath, Sakura-chan looks down at the floor for a second, and then looks me in the eyes again. "Is there something going on between you and Shikamaru?"

Her words bounce off the walls of the quiet hallway and echo in my ears. I process them, then process them again to make sure I heard her correctly.

When I realize what she's just asked me, I'm floored with shock and fear, and totally unable to form a word in response.

I stand in place, looking her in the eyes, and am speechless because of how shocked I am. My body is getting all tingly and sweaty…

"Naruto?" she says worriedly.

"Sakura-chan… Why are you asking me… something like that…?" I grin, hoping to fool her even despite my shakiness.

Bringing one of her hands up to hold her chin in consideration of my question, she answers me fully. "Well, ever since that mission we all went on to the Land of Snow, you've been acting a bit strange. Stranger than usual, that is. And I couldn't help but realize that it was the first mission we had gone on with Shikamaru in a long time… I always felt like he had his eye on you, so I thought maybe he made a move or something."

"… Is that what you and Ino were talking about when you took your break together?"

"For a few minutes, yeah. I never said I suspected anything, though. I just asked her if she noticed Shikamaru acting weird around you lately. The conversation didn't go much further than her saying Shikamaru has never shown any interest in girls and how he was really eager to see you when he found out you came back to the village from our mission to find Sasuke."

"… Sakura-chan… Shikamaru is just-"

"Naruto. You don't have to lie, or hide things from me. We've been through too much for you to be doing that. And… if you think I would suddenly hate you for being of a different sexual orientation, you're wrong."

Feeling vulnerable to Sakura-chan's persistent prying and her honest expression, I look to the floor and close my eyes. "We... we are dating… Shikamaru is my boyfriend." I say. She says she won't hate me, but I'm not that stupid. I know this is something a lot of people look down on. When something is different and doesn't follow what is known as the natural law, it strikes fear in them because they don't understand it. So they lash out against it. It's just like Shikamaru said. And it's just like the villagers used to do to me concerning Kurama.

Suddenly, I'm surrounded in warmth in the front. Two very soft objects are pressing up against my torso, and I feel two arms wrapped tightly around me. I recognize this sensation. I recognize it from all that time ago when I came back to the village from talking to Nagato and Konan.

Opening my eyes, I am met with pink hair.

"S-Sakura-chan…?"

"Naruto, you baka. Why would you hide something like this from me?"

"I…" I don't know what to say. I cannot give her an answer.

"I could never judge you. Not you, who has spent all your time trying to help everyone so much, especially me."

"But-"

Pulling away from me quickly, Sakura-chan glares. Then I feel a fist slam against the top of my head, and I scream out in pain, bending forward in response to this feeling, which is also familiar.

"I'll always support you! So don't keep me in the dark! Besides that, we're a team!"

Holding my head soothingly, I look up to see Sakura-chan's violent expression turn into a much more inviting one adorned by her gorgeous smile.

"Gomen…" I say.

Now I honestly feel kind of bad for not telling her… but it wasn't something she needed to know right off the bat.

"Naruto, are you going to apologize to me, or talk to me about this?"

"I… I don't know what to say. I never expected you would take this so well."

"You don't know everything about me, silly. Now spill it."

"Spill what?"

"Well, I kind of want to know how far have you gone with Shikamaru. If that's too personal… you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Feeling my cheeks heating up, I avoid looking her in the eyes. "We… we um… haven't done very much…"

"Are you going to see him tonight?"

"Y-yeah."

"Here. Take this then."

Grabbing my hand, Sakura-chan puts a small, dark blue, cloth bag in my palm.

"What's this?"

"Open it when things get serious, okay?"

"Um… okay…"

Walking past me back over to the door of the rehabilitation room we just came out of, Sakura-chan smiles again. "If you two go out on a date at some point, you might want to wear something more relaxed… and less orange."

"Oi! Sakura-chan!"

"Hm?"

"Please… Please keep this a secret. I think it'd be best if only you knew about him and me for now."

"I won't tell anyone. I promise. Now go on. Go get ready to see Shikamaru. Ino, Sai, and I can handle things here."

"But-"

"My shift will be over in about an hour. So don't worry about me. Have some fun tonight. …Oh, and I'm really happy for you, Naruto." She said, then opened the door and went inside the rehabilitation room again.

Left alone in the hallway, I look down at the little bag she gave me. I was about to open it, but then I realized it's after seven now and Shikamaru is going to be getting off of work soon.

With a smile on my face, I put Sakura-chan's gift in my pouch, and then head to the end of the hallway where the stairs are. I need to get ready to see Shikamaru!


	11. Efforts

Something less orange.

Something less orange…

Something less orange…!

How in the world am I supposed to find something less orange to wear!?

After leaving the hospital, I headed straight home to try to get ready for Shikamaru, but the moment I opened my closet, I couldn't help but freak out.

There's a big pile of clothes on the floor behind me because I'm trying to find something less orange to wear.

But jeez! Most of my clothes are orange! I mean, I have a few t-shirts that are different colors, but the last time I wore pants that weren't orange was… eh… um… I don't think I've ever  _not_  worn orange bottoms that weren't pajama pants!

After realizing there was no other color of pants I could wear, seeing as I don't own anything besides orange ones, I picked up a clean pair of my usual pants, grabbed a white t-shirt and some undies, then I headed off to the bathroom.

Normally I wouldn't really bathe or anything before going to see someone, but Shikamaru is an exception. He probably went home after he got off of work so he could look and smell nice for me, too. Not that he really needed to. He already looked really nice when I saw him earlier today.

And a part of me kind of wished we didn't have to spend most of the day apart. But then I realize that only makes the thought of seeing him more exciting.

* * *

I tried not to spend too long in the tub, but the water was so hot and relaxing. It's been a long day helping Sakura-chan out at the hospital, so I couldn't resist soaking for a few minutes. Heck, I almost fell asleep, it was just that relaxing.

Needless to say, I woke up quickly when my mouth and nose drifted under the water.

It was enough to have me completely alert, and I felt my sleepiness start to go away.

After I was done bathing, I dressed myself quickly, making sure to put on some deodorant, and then headed to my front door.

Just as I reached it, I heard a knock coming from it.

Upon opening it, I saw Shikamaru standing in the hallway, smiling at me with his hands in his pockets. He's still wearing the same thing I saw him in earlier today before we went our separate ways.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hey Naruto. Are you surprised to see me?" he asked.

"Well, no… I guess this is the best meeting place for us."

Without warning, Shikamaru steps right in front of me, pulls his hands out of his pockets, and then pulls me into a warm hug.

I'm a bit surprised at first. Shikamaru has been doing things like this a lot since we got together, and it's very unfamiliar to me. Regardless, I raise my arms and wrap them around his neck, before burying my nose in his shirt.

"You didn't eat anything, did you?" he asks.

"No, I thought we could go out for ramen."

After pulling away from me, Shikamaru shakes his head at me disapprovingly. "You eat Ichiraku's way too much. Tonight, I'm cooking for you."

"R-really?!"

"Yeah. Come with me."

I nod, and then we both exit my apartment. I make sure to lock the door before I meet Shikamaru at the end of the hallway. "Where are we going?" I ask. If he's going to cook for me and he won't be doing it at my apartment, I can't help but think we're going back to his place.

"To Choji's house."

"Choji!?"

"Yeah. A while ago I did some shopping and picked up some things to cook. I already started some food cooking at his house. I was originally going to do it at your place, but I thought maybe the company would be nice."

"But… does he know…?"

"Does he know what?"

"That we're a couple!" I say as we exit the apartment complex.

"Hey, keep it down, Naruto. I thought you didn't want any of the villagers finding out."

He's right. Luckily there's no one around. "Does Choji know about us?" I ask more quietly.

Shikamaru looks at me and nods. "Mhmm. I told him already."

"Sh-Shikamaru… I thought-"

"I know, and I was going to tell you about it tonight. But you beat me to it."

"…" I can't be mad at him. After all, it's just Choji. "How'd he take it?"

"He was glad for me. He already knew I wasn't interested in women, and he also knew about my feelings for you. When you left with Sakura and Sai, I went and talked to him, and he asked me upfront if I had told you how I felt."

"Well… I have a confession…"

"What is it?"

"I told Sakura-chan about us."

"Are you serious?" he asks calmly.

"Yeah. She kind of asked me about it, just like Choji did with you, and I told her. I… I can't lie to her, Shikamaru. You know that."

"Heh, I guess neither one of us can keep secrets, huh?"

"It helps when you have friends you can trust." I reply with a smile.

After a moment of silence, Shikamaru turns to me. "If Sakura knows, Ino will find out eventually."

I stop in the middle of the street and stare at him for a second. I'm a little hurt that he doesn't have faith in Sakura-chan. "I know they gossip a lot, but Sakura-chan promised me she'd keep my secret a secret."

Shikamaru stops as well. "Did she?" he asked.

"Yes." I say, and then start walking again. "Have some faith in her. Neither of us takes promises lightly."

"I know that." When he catches up to me, he notices the look on my face. "Oi, Naruto… I'm sorry. But you know how Ino is. If she finds out, who knows how many other people would find out? I'm just worried about you."

At hearing that, I slow my pace and inwardly sigh. I know I shouldn't be upset at him for trying to make my life easier, but it's embedded in my system to defend Sakura-chan.

I turn to look at Shikamaru and also get a little closer to him. "You don't have to apologize, Shikamaru. You're always looking out for me, so thank you."

"By the way, there's something else I wanna talk to you about a little later."

"Hm? Why not right now?"

"Because I want to talk about it when we're not going somewhere. Choji's kind of having a small party for the guys, and he's cooking at the moment. So let's save it for later, okay?"

"O-okay…"

"Come on, let's beat the others to his house."

"Yeah."

* * *

We reach the Akimichi mansion in a short amount of time. It looks the exact same as I saw it the last time I came here with Shikamaru a few years ago when he picked Choji up for our Sasuke retrieval mission.

Shikamaru walks up to the front door and opens it, then turns to me to tell me follow him.

"Shikamaru! Isn't this a bit rude?!" I whisper as we take off our shoes.

"No way. I'm practically family here. And Choji knows I'm coming." He answered nonchalantly.

"Shikamaru! Is that you?!" Choji's voice echoed.

"Yeah! I have Naruto with me!" Shikamaru answered. Turning to me, he took my hand into his and led me further inside.

We entered the kitchen, and there we saw Choji preparing something over his stove. "Haha! I'm glad you two are the first ones here!" he smiled.

Even though Shikamaru said he knew about us, I still pulled my hand from his grasp. It's a little strange, being like this in front of others. But when I look at Choji's face, I can't see any malice, disgust, or confusion there. He's smiling, just like I normally see him doing.

Shikamaru looked over at me with an eyebrow raised after I pulled away from him, which made me turn away. He can be intimidating even when he's confused.

"Hey Naruto, don't be afraid here. Shikamaru told me everything, and I'm really happy for you guys." Choji began. He turned around to face us and wiped his hands on his apron, before he continued speaking. "Shikamaru didn't think I knew this, but I've known about his feelings for you since Lady Fifth was inaugurated. I saw the way he always looked at you when he thought no one was looking, and I also saw how much it irritated him to see you going after Sakura, or Sasuke."

"Sasuke? I-I never-"

"The mission to bring him back wasn't just for Sakura, was it?" he interrupted, causing me to get a little warm.

"Choji…" Shikamaru said, trying to stop him from continuing.

"No, no. I want you both to hear this. I'm glad that you two have each other now. You hid your feelings away for as long as you could have, didn't you?" he asked Shikamaru.

"It's really not that big a deal. I was focused on surviving and taking care of my team, Kurenai and her baby, and…" Shikamaru turned to me, "Making sure Naruto didn't die in his attempts to save Sasuke."

I stuffed my hands into my pockets. "I…"

"Shikamaru is my best friend, and you have no idea how long he's waited for you, Naruto. So of course I would only be happy for him when I saw you two together-"

"Choji!"

I am confused now. "You… you saw us? When?"

"… I guess I'd better get back to cooking… You two go make yourselves at home in the living room, okay? I think there's a movie playing right now."

And that was all I got out of Choji when we arrived.

* * *

I was sitting alone in the living room, because Shikamaru said he still had some food to prepare, when I heard the front door open.

When I saw Lee, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru all round the corner, I was a bit surprised. I didn't really think they would be coming.

"Yo Naruto! Did you have fun at the hospital today?" Kiba asked.

"It was okay." I said, and then smiled at Lee.

"Naruto, it is good to see you again. It has definitely been a while since we all got together to spend time with each other." He greeted. As always he was energetic, even though it was well after nine o'clock.

"Hello, Naruto." Shino commented, and then took a seat on the couch. "What are you watching?" he asked.

Akamaru laid down on the floor beside Kiba's foot when he came and sat down on the couch. "Looks kind of lame. Let's change it."

"You're so rude." I mumbled.

"What was that?!"

"Kiba, don't try instigating a fight in someone else's home. I'm sure there are some of Choji's relatives around, and the last thing I think you want is for them to look down on you or your clan for being overly aggressive." Shino advised.

It amazed me how those two got along considering how large the difference in their personalities was. I can't say if Hinata had something to do with their tolerating each other, since I see them without her almost as often as I see them with her, but maybe after spending a few years together, they learned to get along as a team.

"Oh, you're all here!?" Choji said as he came into the living room.

"Hello, Choji!" Lee said.

"You invited us, so of course we'd come." Shino commented.

Kiba looked at him and grinned. "I'm expecting your food to be outta this world good, you know!"

I stayed quiet. I still want to ask about what that statement he made in the kitchen meant, but it was pretty obvious that he wasn't about to talk about it.

That's when Shikamaru walked in.

Kiba was the first to speak to him. "Hey Shikamaru!"

"Hey Kiba."

Shino and Lee greeted him as well. Instead of talking to him, I got up and decided to get a little fresh air.

* * *

Coming outside was definitely a good idea.

The moon is out and shining brightly, it's a nice temperature, and I'm not inside arguing with Kiba or Lee about which movie to watch.

For just a moment as I look up at the sky, I wonder what Sasuke is doing right now… Is he thinking about Konoha? Is he thinking about Team Seven? And… is he thinking about me…?

I'm drawn from my thoughts when the back door opens.

When I turn around, I see that it's Shikamaru.

I've been kind of trying to avoid him ever since Choji said what he said in the kitchen. It seemed like he was hiding something from me.

"Hey Naruto. Mind if I join you out here?" he asked.

"Be my guest."

After he closes the back door, he takes a seat a few feet away and then starts fiddling around in his pocket.

I already know what he's doing, or about to do, so I reach over and grab him by the arm.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Shikamaru, smoking is bad for you."

"… Do you want me to quit?"

"Of course. I can't believe you started, anyway. I know Asuma-sensei's death was hard on you, but you… you didn't need to take up his worst habit to deal with it…"

Shikamaru stares at me for a second, and then pulls his hand out of his pocket. "Fine. I won't smoke around you."

"No, you won't smoke anymore. It's unhealthy."

"You're worried?"

"You know I am."

"I'll try to stop, then. But it's not like I smoke all the time. I just do it every now and then."

When I see that he has given up on smoking out here, I turn away from him and look out to the many trees in Choji's back yard.

"Hey, now's as good a time as any for me to bring this up."

"What?"

"What I said I wanted to talk to you about earlier. I want to know what happened on your mission to find Sasuke."

My eyes move to look at Shikamaru, but I do not turn. I knew he would ask about it at some point.

"It failed."

"I know that, what I want to know is exactly what happened."

After leaning back against the wall behind me, I look back up to the sky. "Well, long story short, we didn't even make contact with him. We went out to where he had been spotted, and we got some leads about which way he went, but they turned out to be false. Apparently a few people who saw him moving with his team saw them suddenly disappear in a cloud of smoke when they encountered Octopops. It must have been a jutsu to get him off their tails, and it worked. Now no one knows where he is."

"All of that happened over the course of two days?"

"No. That was just the first day. But we were determined to find Sasuke. So we got Sai to help us fly across the next few towns in the opposite direction from where Sasuke and his team's clones were seen before they vanished. We spent a whole day looking, but it became obvious we wouldn't find him, so at the end of the second day, we decided to head back home."

If we had left out when Kakashi-sensei told us about Sasuke being spotted, then we might have crossed paths with him.

Shikamaru leans forward and rests his arms on his legs before speaking. "You shouldn't have left the way you did." He said seriously.

"I know… I didn't want to leave you, but I had to try finding Sasuke. You know how long I've been chasing him…"

"Yeah, I do. And while you were chasing him, I was suffering at the thought of you being caught by the Akatsuki."

"…"

Shikamaru turned and looked at me. "I… Naruto… I really care about you."

"And I care about you." I reply. "There's just a lot going on in my life. You knew before you confessed to me how I am. You know I can't give up on the people most precious to me."

"… So what about me? Am I not precious to you? Is what we have not something you treasure as much as you do your team?"

My eyes go wide and I am almost speechless.

I can't believe he would ask me something like that!

"Shika… we've… we've been friends since as long as I can remember! I will always treasure you! You have a place in my heart, just like my teammates, and like our friends. I never would have gotten with you if I didn't think we could have something special together. In the short time we've been together, you've proven just how much you care about me, and I know it's an extension of the relationship we had before our mission to the Land of Snow. I also know you want more than just friendship with me…"

Shikamaru gets up and then comes to sit right beside me. "Naruto, I want to be with you forever. To never lose sight of you. To have you with me as we live out our lives in this world. All I want is for you to make an effort in this relationship of ours." He whispered, before taking my right hand into both of his hands.

"You know I make efforts for us." I breathe out.

"Naruto... just don't ever forget about me, or how I make you feel." He's getting close to me. I can feel as he exhales, and I can smell him a lot better now that he's right in my face.

Our lips touch and he squeezes my hand.

"Shikamaru, I'm glad I decided to go out with you. I really am." I say after pulling away.

"Yeah. Me too." He says, and then backs off a bit.

We sit quietly for a while, staring up at the sky together, and I keep my hand in his grasp. His hands are so warm and soft, and he looks really amazing in the moonlight.

He decides to speak after about fifteen minutes of silence. "Choji knew about us because he saw us at your apartment before you left on your mission. You know, when we were hugging and kissing. …I didn't say anything because I thought I had been careful, but he apparently saw me and was trying to get my attention. I guess when he saw me going to your place, he wanted to see what I was doing since he knew about my feelings for you."

"You could have told me that…"

"I couldn't because I was careless… If Choji had been someone else, who knows what would have happened? I don't want to think about you being hurt because of my actions."

I use my free hand and cup Shikamaru's cheek in the palm of it. "But it  _was_  Choji. You couldn't have known he was following you. Stop beating yourself up about it. That's not like you."

"Heh, I guess I'm not myself when it comes to keeping you safe."

My stomach chose this moment to start grumbling, and I blushed. It always does that in the worst times…

Shikamaru released me and used his free hand to start rubbing it through my shirt, "I've got something other than ramen for you." He smiled.

"Don't say anything!" I begged.

I honestly feel that my stomach decided that ramen was its favorite food shortly after I did when I was a kid. It doesn't enjoy other food as much, and I occasionally find myself with indigestion when I eat things other than ramen.

"Let's go inside." Shikamaru says instead.

"Kay."

I'm looking forward to tasting Shikamaru's food. He made it just for me, and that proves to me that he is making an effort, just like he wants me to.

" _Don't worry, tonight I'll show you just how much I love being with you."_


	12. Happy Love

Shikamaru led me to a room in Choji's house that I could only guess was his dining room. There was a table and it was set with clean dishes and some very good looking food. Hanging on the wall were a few photos of Choji and his family members, who all happened to be heavy set too.

"Hey, you can sit here beside me." Shikamaru said, pulling out a chair from the table.

I take a seat and then pat my lap kind of nervously.

When Shikamaru sits down in the chair next to mine, I stare at him.

"What is it, Naruto?" he asked.

"Where are the other guys gonna eat?"

"Oh, they're eating in the living room while they watch the movie. I was able to get Choji to let us have the dining room all to ourselves. And he's going to make sure we aren't interrupted."

"You have something planned?"

"No, I just want to enjoy this dinner with you. That's all. When was the last time you sat down to dinner with somebody, Naruto?"

I stop and think about that for a moment. Then I remember the last time I did. "Well, Iruka-sensei and I-"

"Eating ramen at Ichiraku's doesn't count." He interrupted, and then grabbed me by my left cheek.

I reached over and grabbed his right back.

"I guess it's been a long time…" I say, only just realizing it now.

"You won't be alone anymore. Not while I'm around."

With a smile that I can't stop from forming, I release Shikamaru's cheek and then lean forward and kiss him. He's so considerate of me. It makes me feel so wanted.

After we part, he scoots his chair up closer to the table. "Tonight we'll be having some fried rice with vegetables and chicken cooked into it. There's a lot of egg rolls, since Choji really likes them and has a lot in his freezer. For desert I made a vanilla cake and put icing on it so it resembles those Naruto cakes you like to get in your ramen so much. I also got my hands on some wine, if you want to try it."

I'm not sure what to say to Shikamaru for doing all of this for someone like me. It's so unusual. The only thing I get similar to this is cookies that Sakura-chan always makes too many of and ends up giving me the majority of them because she and Ino are always dieting together. They look fine to me, but eh, I don't know how girls work.

My slightly growing gut thanks her for the many pans of cookies she's given me.

"Thank you, Shikamaru." I say, and then lean over and kiss him on the cheek.

"It's no problem, really. I like taking care of you. If I don't, nobody will."

"If only you'd made your move on me sooner." I joke.

Shikamaru picked up his chopsticks before responding, "I wanted to, but there was so much going on. And you were barely in the village due to your training and missions. I wanted to maybe take you out somewhere to cheer you up when… well… you know…"

"… It's okay. You were there for me, and you did cheer me up. Had it not been for your words, I would have been crying over Pervy Sage for months. Though, Iruka-sensei did help me, too… But you didn't have to, yet you did. So thanks for that. You helped me more than you'll ever know, Shikamaru."

I also pick up my chopsticks and then start eating. And I'm pleasantly surprised to find that the food is actually really, really good. I waste no time in getting through the main course. Shikamaru's expression is a surprised one, but I can see that he isn't upset or anything. After all, a cook is always happy when people enjoy their food.

"Pace yourself, Naruto."

"I am, but it's really good. Plus, I haven't eaten much today. I need this right now."

"Heh heh."

This is nice. I'm happy. I feel like I'm on top of the world, and it's all Shikamaru's doing.

As I eat his amazing food, and drink some of the wine he brought, I can't help but watch him eat. He's so calm and relaxed.

I want to take him back to my apartment…

"What's wrong? Do you not like the wine I bought?" he asked when he caught me staring.

"No, it's good. I'm just… uh… well…"

"You're so cute, Naruto."

"Wh- Don't say stuff like that to me!" I say, and try to hide my face because I  _know_  I'm blushing.

"I never knew you could get so nervous."

After picking up my bowl of fried rice, I use my chopsticks to shovel the rest of it into my mouth. Then I put the bowl down and picked up my wine to drink it. Shikamaru is looking at me with an eyebrow raised when I'm done, and I turn away from him to hide my embarrassment.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

"I'm fine!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, I'll finish my food and then clean this place up."

"You want me to wait for you here?" I asked.

"Yeah. Think I can spend the night?"

"O-of course, Shikamaru." I say. I don't know why, but he's making me incredibly nervous tonight. That comment about me being cute has definitely played into it.

"Actually, I'll bring this with me. Let me put it in a container, then I'll clean up here and meet you outside."

"Okay."

I stand up from the table, then walk over to the door. But I look over my shoulder and see Shikamaru smiling at me. "Do you need help?" I ask.

"Nah, I can handle this."

With a nod, I continue on my way out of the dining room.

The others notice me as I head to the front door, and I wave at them to let them know I'm leaving. I'm thankful that none of them have anything to say, especially not Kiba. I hope they don't pick up on the fact that Shikamaru and I are leaving at the same time.

As I wait outside, I stand with my hands in my pockets and look out to the Hokage stone faces that are off in the distance.

I can't help but wonder if dad would be proud of me, even though I'm with Shikamaru, and not Sakura-chan like he suspected. And then I wonder about mom. Would they be happy that I'm happy? Or would they think less of me for being with Shikamaru?

I hope they would be happy for me…

"I'll see you guys later. Choji, thanks for letting me cook here." Shikamaru says before he comes out of the mansion.

He's holding a plate and a pan, both covered with foil, in his hands.

"Do you need me to carry one?" I ask.

"I'm fine. Let's get going."

"Kay."

* * *

"Hurry up, slow poke!" I call from the top of the stairwell down to Shikamaru.

"This isn't a race, Naruto!" he shouts back.

"You're just mad cuz you're losing!"

I hear him shout and fall, and my eyes go wide. Quickly, I run down the stairs to help him up. He hasn't wasted any food, surprisingly.

Suddenly, he gets up and hurries up the stairs with a grin on his face.

"Uh-not fair!" I yell, and then chase after him.

He beat me to my door, making me feel a little embarrassed. I can't believe I fell for his ploy. Actually, I guess I can. He's much smarter than I am, after all.

"Are you proud that you beat me?" I asked as I pull my keys from my pocket.

"Kinda."

I unlock the door and we both go inside. He heads over to the kitchen with the food he was carrying. I close and lock the door, take off my shoes, and then turn on the lights.

"Can I put this in the refrigerator?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead."

He opened the door and turned to look at me immediately after doing so.

"What?" I say.

"Naruto, you don't have any food in here. All you have is milk, jelly, and… butter? How do you live like this?"

"There's lotsa ramen in my cabinets. It's inexpensive, easy to make, and it tastes great."

"…"

Shikamaru puts the food into the fridge and walks over to me.

"What?"

Putting his hand on my shoulder, he pulls me close. "You can't keep living like this."

"I'm fine. I've always been fine living this way."

"Naruto…"

My eyes go wide when Shikamaru leans in and presses his lips against mine. I reach my hand up and rest it on his chest. His heart is beating, fast. He's excited.

When I feel his tongue run along my lips, I lose control of myself and jump up into his grasp. He quickly reaches down to support my weight by grabbing me by my rear end, and I wrap my legs around his waist. We keep kissing, even as he carries me through my apartment to my bedroom.

He falls down onto my bed with me beneath him, and continues to explore my mouth with his tongue.

Eventually, his lips leave mine and they move down to my neck. His warm tongue glides along it, making me moan against my will.

And while he's doing that, I move my hand down to massage his erection through his pants. It's nice and hard already. I can tell he's just as excited as I am, if not more.

His lips move from my neck and then he bites my ear tenderly. "Na…ru…to…" he whispered, tickling my skin with his warm breath.

"What?" I whisper back, and then run my hands up his back gently.

"Do you want to take the next step with me?"

I close my eyes. It's so soon… I feel like it's too early for something like that.

Shikamaru must notice my hesitation, because he pulled away a little and looked me in the eyes. It's so dark in here that I'm surprised he can.

"If you don't want to-"

"No… I do." I say.

It may be early in our relationship, but I've known Shikamaru since we were kids. I may not have wanted anything like this back when we were in the Academy, or even when I came back from training, but he's changed me quite a lot. Mainly, he changed my opinion about this. It feels right being here with him.

Staring at his near silhouetted face, I feel nothing but happiness.

And I know now that I love him.

"Do you have a… um…"

"What?"

"Well… I don't have a condom…"

"Neither do I!"

"What?! You don't have any here?"

"Shikamaru, I don't have sex. Ever. Why would I need to waste money on condoms?"

"So you never thought you'd maybe have Sakura over here one day and you'd get lucky with her?"

"…"

"I guess you don't have any lubrication either, huh?"

"…No… But we can still do it without it!"

Shikamaru pulled away and scratched his head. "No, if this is your first time, I don't want you to be too uncomfortable. Doing this without a condom would be okay, but a virgin needs lubrication."

"I have lotion."

"Naruto…"

I sit up too and look down at my hands disappointedly. If we can't do this tonight… I really was hoping we could…

I realize something, and then a smile finds its way to my face.

Quickly, I get off my bed and turn on the lights.

"Naruto?"

"I think… I think we can still do this!" I shout, and then pick up my ninja pouch.

"What? Do you have something?"

I can feel my eyes light up when I see the little present Sakura-chan gave me earlier. After taking it out of my pouch, I head over to the bed with it and sit down. "I have faith in my friends." I say, and then untie it then empty its contents onto my bed.

Out falls a condom, a small bottle of lubrication, and a slip of folded paper with a cherry blossom design printed on the edges.

"Where'd you get that?!" Shikamaru asks, with an astonished look on his face.

"Sakura-chan gave this to me earlier today."

"Sh-she did?"

"Mhmm!" I say, and then pick up the piece of paper.

After unfolding it, I see that it's a note from her:

_Naruto, if I know you, you'll be all over Shikamaru._

_You're impatient, don't deny it._

_And if I know Shikamaru, he'll be all over you too._

_Be safe with him and take care._

"She is much more perceptive than I like…" Shikamaru said over my shoulder.

"That's good for us, see?" I say, holding the condom up in my other hand.

Shikamaru leans forward and slowly takes it from me with his teeth. It sends shivers up my spine, so I get up and turn the lights back off.

"I can't see much without the light."

After pulling my curtains back, I smile and lean in to kiss him. "Now you can."

Grinning, Shikamaru slides his pants down and reveals his erection. I do the same, and pull my shirt off as well.

I'm completely surprised when he lays me back on my pillows and then takes me into his mouth. The warmth is more than welcome, so I put both my hands on the back of his head to encourage him to continue doing what he's doing. But I don't force him to go lower. I want him to do this at his own pace.

"That feels so good, Shika…" I breathe.

He keeps sucking me, and goes further down every few seconds. Not long into his amazing blowjob, I feel myself about to climax.

It was then that he stopped, as if he knew I was about to.

I can't say anything because he comes up and kisses me, leaving his hand around my penis and rubbing the tip with his thumb.

"You have so much precum." He said after pulling away. "Maybe I didn't need lube after all."

My cheeks feel warm, but I try not to be nervous around him, even though he's obviously teasing me.

He wastes no time in ripping the condom pack open and putting it on. I wait for him to get ready by closing my eyes and laying back. There's a lot of movement I hear, then I feel a cold object pressing against my asshole.

"Ugh!" I moan loudly when it pushes inside me. "I don't… I don't like it!" I say.

"It's just my finger. When I put my dick inside, it'll feel a lot better."

"Then… hurry up… Your skinny finger doesn't feel so great…" I reply, closing my eyes even tighter as he inserts a second one.

After a few seconds of that, he pulls them out, which causes me to open my eyes. He's hovering over me with his arms on either side of me.

"Are you ready?"

"Y-yeah. Do it." I can see tears in his eyes as he presses the head of his penis against my hole. "God!" I shout as he forces it inside me.

Once it's inside as far as it can go, we stay like that for a moment, staring at each other.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto." He apologized, before he started moving in and out of me at the slowest pace he could probably manage.

"It hurts! Shikamaru…!"

Shikamaru stops moving and takes my face into his hands. "It's going to hurt at first, but if you give it a little while to adjust, it'll feel a lot better. I promise."

I nod against his hands, letting him know he can start again.

When he does, I close my eyes. It still hurts.

"Naruto…" he whispered. I feel him move closer to me and then bite my earlobe. "Naruto… I love you. I love you more than you'll ever know. You mean the world to me." He said, his voice incredibly heavy in my ear.

I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, then run my hands through his dark hair. "I love you, too." I reply, while pulling his hair tie out.

One of his hands takes mine and forces it down onto the bed, and the other lifts my leg over his shoulder. I assume it was to get a better angle, because he's going in much deeper now.

It is still uncomfortable, but I find a way to deal with it. After interlacing our fingers, I squeeze Shikamaru's hand tightly. Tighter than I've ever squeezed before. He squeezes back, and hurts my hand a little from how hard he does. But it's okay, because it's distracting from him fucking me like this is our last day on earth.

With my free hand, I reach down and grab hold of my penis, then start stroking it. My climax is near, so I might as well enjoy this while I can.

"Does it feel better?" he asks.

"Yeah… it still hurts a bit, but I can take it."

"Cum for me, Naruto. I'm close, but I want you to go before I do."

"I'm about to." I whisper. And I do, shooting my load all over our stomachs.

"Where should I cum?"

"On my stomach."

Shikamaru pulls out of me and then takes his condom off. He starts stroking himself with incredible speed, and then after a few seconds, he cums, shooting so far it reaches my chest. With a long exhale, he smiles down at me warmly in the moonlight.

"What?" I ask.

"I'm just glad we could do this. I hope it wasn't too bad."

"Shikamaru, I-I enjoyed it. Even though it hurt… a lot… I liked it because we did it together. Being close to you like that was something I'll always remember."

I can see that my words made him happier than he was before. I really am glad we could do that, but I still hope it gets better for me soon.

When he holds his hand out to me, I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"C'mon. Let's go bathe. We can't go to sleep like this."

"You're tired?"

"Aren't you?"

"… A little, but you're  _always_  tired. I'm surprised you didn't fall out right when you finished." I tease.

"Urusai…"

"I love you, Shikamaru."

"And I love you, Naruto."

As I get up and hurry to the bathroom before any of our man juice on my stomach can run down my body, I can't help but feel like this was the right thing to do. Even Sakura-chan showed her support for us by giving me what I needed to do this.

Shikamaru slaps my ass and grins when he comes into the bathroom with me, and I immediately know I want to do this with him again sometime. I really do love him so much.


	13. The Village and Naruto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

The sun seeping in through Naruto's blinds is what woke me up the next morning. Wanting nothing more than to keep holding Naruto as we laid together, I got up and crawled over him, then used my body as a shield for him so he wouldn't be forcibly awakened like I was. With the sun out of my eyes, I yawned and tried falling asleep again… to no avail. Being here with Naruto and having him hugged up against me had me feeling like exploding from the incredible amount of happiness it brought me.

For a second he struggles to wake up as well, making me feel like I failed in keeping him asleep, then I see those blue eyes through heavy eyelids. Naruto lifts his hand and places it on my side, then rubs his thumb along my skin slowly.

"Morning sleepy head."

"G'morning Shikamaru."

I don't say anything after that, because I want to see how Naruto feels about last night. I want to see what his facial expressions and sincerest words are without me guiding him by asking. If he brings it up at all on his own then I'll know it meant something.

When he snuggles closer to me, I grin. If I hadn't taken the chance I did back on our mission together, I never would've known this side of Naruto existed. He comes off as an all powerful prankster to most, and he'd been that way to me for a long time. But now seeing him nearly begging me for closeness and warmth, I can't help but relish in our relationship.

"Shikamaru…"

"Yeah?"

"My ass hurts…"

"I'm sorry."

"No… last night was amazing!" He said, looking up at me with a childish smile, "It's just that I'll have to get used to the feeling of pain after pleasure, which sucks."

"Naruto, it won't be like that forever. After we do it more, your body will just get accustomed to it and it won't hurt afterwards."

"I'm looking forward to that, then."

I lean up and then rest my cheek on my hand and look down at Naruto, "Do you wanna just stay in bed all day, or do you want to go out?"

"Don't be lazy. We can go out. I have something to drop off to Sai, and I'm always up for seeing Sakura-chan."

"Alright. But isn't Sakura working today? Should you disturb her?"

"…Maybe I shouldn't then…"

"C'mon. Let's not waste the morning away talking about doing things when we could actually  _be_  doing things."

"I'm showering first."

"No don't."

"Why not?" Naruto asked, confusion apparent on his whiskered face.

"You'll see." I say, and then sit up fully.

* * *

Today is surprisingly a very nice day to go out. The sky is a lively shade of blue, and it is decorated by the white clouds and bright sun. Even the people seem pretty happy to be going about their day to day activities. Naruto, however, wears that look where his eyes are closed and his lips poke out a bit as he and I walk down the streets of Konoha. It's a look of slight confusion that I've seen on his face many times before.

Regardless, I lead him to where the first stop on our outing.

The moment we come up to Ichiraku's, his eyes open and he turns to me with a gleam that only ramen could give him.

"Shikamaru, we're-"

"Yeah. I'll pay for anything you want."

After smiling at me eagerly with starry eyes, Naruto hurries over to the shop and brushes into it under the white flaps. "Morning old man!" I hear him say as I enter.

"Good  _afternoon_ , Naruto." Teuchi says.

"Naruto, it's strange to see you here without your team. Especially without Sakura." Ayame commented, obviously teasing him. Naruto doesn't catch on to her catching on to what's going on between him and me, but I guess that's for the best. These two don't seem to harbor any resentment about me and Naruto, and they do always treat him like they're extended family of his, so I don't mind them figuring things out.

"I still hang out with my team and that includes Sakura-chan." Naruto says, and then sits at the bar.

I sit down beside him and pick up a menu. Everything here is fairly priced, but since I know Naruto, I know that my wallet is about to suffer a devastating blow. When I turn to look at him, I can see the incurable desire for ramen in his blue eyes. He starts ordering, making sure to order some ramen in advance, and I cringe at just how much he intends to bleed me dry.

"What will you have, sir?" Ayame kindly asks me once she's taken down Naruto's order.

"I'll take a bowl of the miso ramen." I reply, hoping that through my example maybe one day I'll inspire Naruto to take it easy on his servers… and other people's wallets.

"Itadakimasu!" we both say once we've been brought our food.

While I eat calmly and collectedly, Naruto almost attacks his ramen. I suppose he intends to inhale it instead of enjoying it. Even though his appetite can have him doing very cute things from time to time, we're out in public. So under the countertop, I nudge his leg with mine. He looks at me confusedly, then I show him that he should eat more properly. Thankfully, he gets the message and slows down a bit.

"You'll enjoy it longer if you don't just guzzle it down in two seconds." I say quietly.

"I know that… That's what the later bowls are for."

"…"

The first part of our day I spent in awe at just how much food Naruto could put away. Anyone who falls for him should be ready to feed him as well.

* * *

"So where we headed now?" Naruto asks after we head out from Ichiraku's.

"Well, you almost wiped out all the money I had on me, but I have somewhere else I wanna take you." I reply.

After that, Naruto remains silent as we continue on our way through Konoha. He stops and stares at me like I'm a weirdo when he realizes that I'm taking him to the bathhouse. "This is where you wanted to go?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why? Do you not want to go here?"

"…Why the bathhouse?"

"Nervous?"

"Not really…"

"We've seen each other naked since we were kids. And even last night." I say with a grin. "Come on, it'll be fun."

…

We both enter the changing room and get out of our clothes, then we put them into one basket. Naruto heads right towards the open bath, but that's not what I paid for.

"Naruto, not that one. I rented a private room for us."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. I've been saving a bit of money lately, and the S-Rank missions I've been going on have been a great help with that."

Naruto smiles, "Lead the way then!"

 

…

"…"

"What?"

Looking around the room I rented for a second, Naruto takes a minute before he replies, "It's so small…"

"Do you want a bigger one?"

"Uh, no… I was just expecting the private rooms to be a bit bigger than this is all."

"I can get a bigger one."

"No." Naruto says, then closes the door and takes me by the hand. I'm surprised when he pulls me close and kisses me. "It's perfect." He speaks against my lips.

I'm thoroughly surprised when he pulls my towel off and then starts parading around the tub with it. "Naruto…" I mumble.

"Come get it!" he exclaims from the other end of the tub.

"Don't be childish…"

"Come on!"

Another thing about Naruto is that he is very impulsive, childish, and overly competitive. That last trait is especially apparent when Sasuke is involved. I suppose I have no choice but to accept that since I  _did_  fall for him.

The moment I get close, he takes off in the opposite direction. I've grown a bit tired of his game already, so I bring my hands together and send my shadow out after him.

"Uh! No fair!" he shouts, frozen and unable to get away from me any longer.

I make him walk over and hold out his hand to me. "Thanks." I say, taking my towel from him.

The look on his face is one someone might see on a child who was just beaten at their own game. I don't really know why he's taking it so seriously. But when I offer my hand to him, he grins and takes it into his.

Almost too quickly for me to react, he pulls me into the tub with him. The water is hot, too hot to just go jumping into, and it makes me scream under the water. I feel his hands grab me under my arms and he helps me to the surface.

"You're so childish…" I say, wiping any traces of the water from my eyes.

"Haha, sorry! But you deserved it!"

"For not playing your game?"

Naruto blushed. "I was just trying to get you to have fun with me…"

"…" Since his innocence is obvious, and that look he's giving me conveys his apology, I can't be irritated for long. I look around and see the seam starting to fill the rest of the room. Even though we're alone in here, I feel more confident now that we're blanketed by it. I walk through the water and pull Naruto, who is still very flustered, close to me, "It's okay." I say, then lead him over to the edge of the tub and sit down. He takes a seat between my legs with his back to me and rests his blonde head on my right shoulder.

"Shika…"

"Hm?"

"Do you think we should tell the others about us?"

"Do you want to? I mean, Choji and Sakura know. I guess we should tell Ino and Sai as well… But it's up to you. The others can find out when the time is right." I reply. I understand him wanting to tell everyone, which reminds me… I still need to let my mother know at some point, which will be a drag.

I'm kind of thankful Naruto is an orphan, because I don't have to worry about his parents or what they would say. Though, I do wonder what Lord Fourth and his wife would think of Naruto's and my relationship. There're others that he considers family, like Iruka and Lady Fifth, so I guess I won't get off as easy as I originally thought…

"I wish I could stay here like this forever.. It feels so nice." Naruto says softly.

"I agree." I smile, then press my nose and lips to the wet, blonde locks in front of me. I see his ears slowly turn red when I slowly run my hands down his abdomen and rest them in between his legs.

"Sh-Shikamaru…"

"I'm not going to do anything. I just wanna relax with you. This is part of relaxing."

"If you consider this relaxing, then just how lazy are you?" he asks, making me blush when I realize what he means.

I pull my hands back and rest them on his thighs instead, "There."

"Hee hee."

Naruto sure knows how to get to me. I guess for as long as we've been friends, I should expect no less from him.

* * *

Our bath lasted a lot longer than I expected it to. We honestly ended up just sitting there with each other for about forty five minutes before we started actually bathing. When we finished, I told Naruto there was one more place I wanted to take him.

This time, I put a blindfold over his eyes.

"Shikamaru, why is there so much wind…?" he asked as I guided him up the stairs.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet." I say with a smile.

"…Just tell me where we're going. Or let me take this blindfold off."

Once we reach our destination, I turn Naruto and tell him to take off the blindfold. When he does, his eyes widen and he turns to me, "On top of the Hokage monument?"

"Yeah."

"Why here?"

"Because… I believe in you and your dream, Naruto. I wanted to sit up here with you and look out at the village for a while. I know you spent a lot of time up here as a kid when you were being troublesome, but I wanna give you a second look at what it's become… to give you this view from a different perspective. The villagers respect you, you have great comrades, and your dream is not out of reach."

Naruto smiles and looks back out to the village. "Yeah… a lot has changed. There's even two different levels to it now because of Nagato."

"The village grew because of that, but we could only grow because you saved us. I remember that time, and I wish I could've helped…"

"No, if you or Sakura-chan had interfered and fallen like Hinata did… I… I don't know what would've happened… There might not have been anything left of this place to save…" he spoke with a solemn look on his face.

"I didn't bring you up here for that. Sorry I brought it up…"

"It's fine. I grew a lot because of it, and so did the village."

I take a seat and pat the spot beside me. Naruto sits down as well, then leans on my shoulder. "I really love you, Naruto."

"I know, Shikamaru. And I love you, too." He says, beaming up at me with that smile of his.

For a while, we just sit in peace. The day is warm and the breezes make it all the better. The village itself seems to be glowing in the sun's light, and I can't help but feel like I can do anything with Naruto here at my side. I don't think anything could ruin this moment.

"Oi, is that…"

"What?" I ask.

"I think that's Sai!" Naruto says, and then sits up straight. He's looking towards the sun with his hand up to shield his eyes.

It is Sai, riding on one of his Super Beast birds. He's coming this way.

"Sai! S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto calls, then stands and waves to them as they get close.

The bird disappears and they both land in front of us.

"What are you two doing here?" I say.

"We've been looking for Naruto." Sai replies.

"Me? Why me? We don't have a mission or anything." Naruto comments.

"Naruto… Sasuke has been spotted again. The ninja who saw him said he had a message for you."

Naruto looks angry, confused, and surprise all at the same time, "What's that?" he asked.

"He wants to fight you… And he said no one else should interfere." Sakura answers.


	14. Different for Us!

I really don't know how to respond to what I've just been told. I stand in silence for a while, the sounds of the world fade away. Heck, I even start losing visual focus of Shikamaru, Sakura-chan, Sai, and the village.

Sasuke wants to fight me?

He's willing to stop  _evading_  me and face me head on?

All I can think about is why he would want to do that. After all this time, what made him want to challenge me now? Is it about the Hokage title that he claimed he wanted during the war? There's just so much uncertainty, so much confusion, that I can hardly put together coherent thoughts.

A hand on my shoulder makes me almost jump. It's Shikamaru. He looks worried.

"Naruto." He says, concern pretty clear in his voice.

Gosh, I hate that he has to always come behind my team even when I promised him he was on equal terms with them! But this is a chance I can't pass up, isn't it? If I can defeat Sasuke, then  _everything_  will be over. He'll come back, our team will be reunited, Sakura-chan and I can finally have peace of mind, and the others will stop worrying about whether or not he's going to do something that might reflect badly upon the village. It's a chance of a lifetime that I cannot pass up.

I look to Sakura-chan for a second. She seems determined, just like the last time we left to go find Sasuke. However, this time even if I do take her with me, I'm sure Sasuke will want to face me alone… But that's the thing. Every time Sakura-chan or I have tried facing Sasuke alone, we failed. When I promised Sakura-chan I'd bring him back, I failed. When she confessed to me in order to take the promise and the burden of the decision everyone had made about Sasuke off my shoulders, ultimately, she failed to stop him as well.

We need to do it  _together_.

I realize that if we can surprise Sasuke, it won't matter if he wants to fight me one-on-one.

"What are you going to do, Naruto?" Sai asked. "Lady Fifth has given you permission to leave the village on the condition that you are accompanied by an ally."

I turn to Shikamaru, who looks down at the ground knowingly in disappointment. It hurts me so much to treat him like this, but I can't take him with me.

"Naruto, you realize Sasuke will probably have his squad on standby. You should have Sai go with you just in case-"

"Sakura-chan." I say, interrupting her, "You should come with me."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Shall I remain in the village?" Sai asked.

"No, you come too. This is Team 7's mission. I won't do it without you guys. We have to work together… like we said we would all that time ago…"

"Well, that's good to know. Although… Kakashi-sensei and Yamato are both away at the moment. Do you think the three of us can handle Sasuke and his three followers?" Sai replies.

"We'll manage. I have a plan." My words seem to shock everyone, especially Shikamaru.

Sai pulls out a scroll and summons three foo dogs, "We don't have much time to waste then. Let's get prepared so we can move out as soon as possible." He said once he did.

"Right!" Sakura-chan agreed, then climbed on the back of one of the foo dogs.

Shikamaru puts his hands into his pockets and sighs. I know he's got to be upset about this. Our date was going so well and then this suddenly happened. Not to mention he must feel like I'm putting him on the back burner again. But this time it's different.

Reaching out, I take one of his hands out of his pocket and hold it tightly in my own hands. "Shikamaru, I love you. And I want you to know that I really appreciate today. You made me happy, really happy, ya know. Let me deal with Sasuke."

"Naruto, it's okay…"

"No, let me finish. My team will deal with Sasuke. But I want you to back me up. We all shouldn't move together because it's not the best idea for two three-man cells to do that, but I do want you to follow us. Flank his comrades if you can find them, but don't kill them. We owe them for saving Obaa-chan during the war. Just keep them out of our way and detain them, please. I know you of all people can do it, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru's eyes are wide. He seems to be at a total loss of words, stunned by what I've told him. So instead of waiting for his response, I simply lean up and press my lips against his. I don't want to pull away, and for a while, I just stayed slightly on my tiptoes kissing him. He needs to know that I love him and I believe in his abilities.

The moment that I remember Sai and Sakura-chan are mere inches away from us, I grow hot all over and pull away. When I look at them, Sai seems completely surprised. His mouth is hanging open and his eyebrows are hidden beneath his forehead protector. Sakura-chan has a different look on her face. It's one that is kind and also determined. This is the first time she's seen me and Shikamaru together this way, but there is an urgent issue to attend to, so she must have a lot to think about right now.

"Naruto… I had no idea…" Sai began as he sat atop his foo dog. "I was absolutely right, after all."

"We can talk about it later!" I shout, before hurrying over to the last foo dog and hopping onto it. I look back at Shikamaru as the three of us take off. This time, I don't feel like I'm abandoning him. This time, things are different for us!


	15. Guarded

If I said I wasn't surprised at what Naruto did in front of Sakura and Sai, I'd be lying. Of course, I always knew he couldn't keep our relationship hidden from his team for too long, but still… he's so brazen sometimes.

He wanted me to follow after him with my team, and that's what I'm going to do. However, there are some preparations I need to see to before I head out. I can't imagine that Naruto has left the village yet, as he was nowhere near prepared to face Sasuke since we heard Sasuke wanted to fight him, so my team probably won't be far behind Team 7 when they leave. Normally, I wouldn't want him to get too far ahead of me on missions, and I let him know that from time to time, but he insists that we fall behind so we can flank Sasuke's comrades if they get involved in the battle.

Naruto's safety is what I'm most concerned about, but I know he can take care of himself. He won't die at Sasuke's hand.

Plus, Sakura and Sai will be there to bail him out should he need healing or an escape. I can't imagine this mission going wrong, but it doesn't hurt to consider the 'what ifs' and have contingency plans. Who knows, Sasuke could have Orochimaru as an ace in the hole…

"Hey, where are you going?" Ino asked as she spotted me in the street.

Great, now I don't need to go looking for her. "I was just about to come find you." I tell her.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"We have an urgent mission."

"A mission? What rank?"

"It's unofficial, but I'd classify it as an S-Ranked one." I say with certainty. Sasuke is still quite the international criminal, and his abilities are not to be underestimated.

"I'm confused. How can a mission be unofficial."

"I need you, Ino. We can talk when we get to the gates. Can you pass the message on to Choji for me?"

"Sure… But… Where are you going?!" she called when I turned my back to her.

"I have something to do before I go. But go get the things you'll need. And make sure you don't tell anyone about this but Choji."

"Ugh! This is so like you to not tell me anything but still expect me to just go along with things!" Ino yelled. I could practically hear the steam coming from her she was fuming so much.

There's something I need to do before I leave… something I've needed to do for a long time now.

* * *

To my surprise and confusion, I am hesitant, almost frozen, as I stand in front of the door I grew up using to get in and out of my house. Its tiniest dings I recognize and recall how they came to be. One was from when dad was bringing some firewood home and he accidentally ran into the door with it trying to get his keys out of his pocket. Another was from when I upset Ino one day and she threw some flowers at me, meaning to inundate me. And the one near the doorbell, surprisingly, enough was from when Naruto had visited a few years ago when my parents were out, and was trying out a trick with his clones using kunai only to have three fly out and hit my house. I wasn't upset or anything, but he felt really bad. You can hardly even tell the mark is there now…

But I have to remember that now isn't the time for reminiscing. I really need to get this secret of mine off my chest.

Taking in a deep breath to relax my heart a bit, I pull my keys out from my pocket and unlock the door.

The foyer is dark, but I can see the lights on in the kitchen. And I can smell the many aromas of my mom's famous stew being prepared. Reminds me of when I was just a kid…

"Shikamaru? Is that you?"

"Yeah." I replied, my stomach sinking. This is hard on me and I haven't even seen her yet.

"I'm making dinner. Come sit down for a bit." I hear as I walk through the hallway towards the kitchen.

"I can't stay."

"What?" she asks, turning now that I'm in the kitchen. "Why not? And where have you been? You didn't come home last night, and it's after noon… Are you okay? Did you have a place to sleep?"

"Mom, I have something to tell you." I really wish Naruto was here… he'd make this a lot easier on me.

"What's that?" she asked, pulling off her oven mitt from baking something that looked like sweet rolls and taking a seat at the table. Her eyes are still just as piercing as they normally are, even though she is confused.

Why is this so hard?

"Mom, I… I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time, and now I have a good reason to say it. I'm… I'm seeing a guy." I manage to say. Her immediate reaction is a mix of surprise, concern, and confusion. Still, I continue, "I've wanted to be with him for a long time now, and finally I had the courage to tell him how I feel. Normally, I'm not the kind of person to be emotionally invested in anyone, but he's different. There's something about him that Ino, Temari, and Shiho don't have…"

"Yes, and it's dangling between his legs."

"…That's not what I meant, but that doesn't hurt. I guess I should tell you that I have no sexual interest in women as well. You don't have to accept me, but as your son, I imagine you would have trouble forgetting your love for me. Even if such a time comes though, mom, I want you to know that I appreciate all that you've done for me. I can't be the clan leader like you wanted, nor can I carry on the bloodline… but at least there are others who can do that."

"Shikamaru, why are you telling me this so suddenly?"

"I have a mission, and to protect the guy I love, I may not return alive."

"Shika-"

"This is goodbye for now. Whether I see you again or whether I come back in a body bag, just know that I've always loved you… and feared you…" I say, and then turn to go.

"Shikamaru!" my mom cried out. I could hear her standing up so abruptly that the chair fell back and hit the floor.

"Take care of yourself." I said as I exited the house.

Somehow, I feel like I can breathe easy now… There's a huge weight off my chest, and even though I don't know what will come in the future, I can at least be happy that I'm not hiding anything from my mother anymore.

Now… I need to go and visit Tenten to see if she has some special ninja tools I can stock up on. She is working at the ninja tools shop now, so I'm certain I can manage to get a discount out of her.

* * *

"Discount?"

"Yes, is there any discount you can give me on bulk ninja tools?"

After looking around the vast ninja tools shop, Tenten sighs, "Shikamaru, are you trying to get me fired? I can't just give discounts because we know each other."

"Are there any sales? I've got a big mission coming up and I'll need a lot of items."

"How big is this mission?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"…S-Rank."

"That's not enough."

"Fine." I say, not really in the mood to play around with her, "Sasuke showed up and wants to fight Naruto. It could be dangerous, so I'm going to help him. Meaning I need all the provisions I can get."

I couldn't begin to describe the look of complete shock on Tenten's face if I wanted to. She stands staring at me for with wide eyes and her mouth open for what feels like hours before she runs to the back and, from the noises I hear, starts rummaging through things hastily. With a large, green scroll in her arms as she comes back to the front, she slams it down on the counter and exhales deeply, "Here! This is my own personal summoning scroll. You can use anything in this arsenal you need." She said, then opened the scroll and waved her hand across the symbols.

A multitude of handy-looking tools come forth from clouds of smoke as she rolled the scroll down the counter.

Some of these tools I've never even seen before.

"I didn't need anything over the top. Just standard ninja tools for myself and my team. I can assume Naruto and his team will leave out hastily, considering two of them are desperate to bring Sasuke back and the other is eager to help them, so it's up to me to do all the strategizing."

Tenten reaches a point in the scroll where the word 'bulk' is marked and nods, "Well, Shikamaru, I'm curious."

"About?"

"Why you're so eager to help." She continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Three years ago, your mission to bring Sasuke back failed. Then Naruto and Sakura failed to defeat him in the Land of Iron, let alone bring him home. But you… you can't possibly  _still_  be harboring feelings of regret for not being able to bring him back on your first mission as a Chuunin, can you?"

"No… I'm not."

"If you had brought Sasuke back home all that time ago, none of this would be happening now. Actually, who knows what may  _not_  have happened… Knowing that, I have to wonder why you're still so invested in bringing Sasuke home if you're over the matter now. Is it…" she paused, then summoned a towering stack of shuriken, "Is it for Ino?"

"No." I reply flatly. Why do people assume everything I do is for Ino?

"Then… Sakura?"

"It's not what you think, Tenten."

Seemingly completely aware of something now, she looks at me knowingly. "Oooooh… I get it now. See, everyone assumes we're all in the dark about what's going on in Team 7—the promise Naruto made to Sakura that he couldn't keep… But when I think about this from your shoes, I can't help but wonder if you have ulterior motives."

"Tenten-"

"This is all for Naruto, isn't it?"

"What?"

"You heard me. And you didn't deny it, either. You're trying to bring Sasuke back so he won't have to shoulder his promise to Sakura anymore, and also so he can reunite Team 7. By bringing him home, you'll be bringing Naruto great happiness and relief, won't you?"

"Where are all these questions and presumptions coming from?" I ask.

"Well… I happened to notice you were hanging around Naruto a lot lately. Especially at night. It doesn't take a genius to figure something must be going on between you two. Not to mention after all the years of you hanging around him and constantly denying any interest in women, something was different about you." She said, though she just seemed to be interested in making me admit it rather than judging me.

"Naruto is my friend. One of my best friends. And Team 7 is Team 10's rival in a sense, so why wouldn't I try helping them out?"

"I have some advice for you."

"Huh?"

"You're a smart guy. Even you must realize this. But… even if, by chance, Sasuke were to come home, it wouldn't solve Team 7's problems. And… I'm afraid it may just drive you and-"

"Tenten!"

Both Tenten and I jump as an old man barges into the shop.

"M-Master-"

"Save your breath! What are you doing, missy?!" the man asks as he walks up to the front counter and notices all the tools that have been summoned.

"I was just helping Shikamaru here in dealing with a very important mission!"

"Is that right?"

"Yes. It's highly classified, and even the Hokage would approve of these methods." I interject.

The old man pulled at his thick beard, "…Well… don't give him  _all_  ya got. How will you fight if you do?"

Tenten sweatdropped, "I have multiple scrolls, you know…"

"Tenten, I'm pretty short on time." I remind her. Naruto is waiting for me and I can't play around anymore.

"Oh, right. Well, just stay guarded when it comes to Sasuke. He's dangerous." She said as she started stocking three large ninja pouches with tools for me.

"I didn't plan on letting my guard down… Thank you for your help, Tenten." I replied, and then left the shop without a second thought. I don't have time for anymore stalling. Naruto needs me, and I won't let him down again.

* * *

"Shikamaru! You're a real piece of work, you know!" Ino starts hounding me the moment she lays eyes on me as I come to where she and Choji are waiting near the main village entrance. "First you have Sai send me a message to meet you here at three sharp,  _sharp_  mind you, and you show up ten minutes late!? What's this about a highly classified mission?!"

She's wearing a moderately-sized backpack for our mission, as is Choji, and a large medical pouch as well.

Choji looks very uneasy. It appears I'm not the only one she decided to raise her voice at today… "Shikamaru, what's this about a mission?" he asked.

"We're following after Team 7. Sasuke is our objective."

Ino froze almost completely. All of her anger seemed to vanish instantly, being replaced by total confusion and a hint of denial. "We- we what?" she said.

"You heard just fine, Ino. Sasuke is calling out Naruto, and we're gonna back him up. It's just like he did for us with the Akatsuki."

"This… is this for real? Are you playing a joke on me?"

"Ino, Shikamaru wouldn't do that." Choji answered, then looked at me, "Are we ready to go? If we're meeting here, I assume there's no time to waste."

I nod, "Yeah. I got these for you two." I say, and then hand Choji a ninja pouch, which I'd been carrying alongside mine. Ino has nowhere to store one, so I decide to wear hers myself. "Tenten gave me a substantial stock of some basic tools, so we should be all prepared. I hope you two are ready."

"Yeah, let's go! Our comrades need us!" Choji declared.

"R-right." Ino responded, now seeming to have faced the reality of this situation. "Let's move!"

I can tell she must be eager to see Sasuke again.

On our way to the gate, I stop at the personnel station. Kotetsu is sitting there alone, which is strange.

"Hey, where's Izumo?"

"He's on break right now." Kotetsu replied. "What are you doing here? You guys going on a mission?"

"Yeah, an important one. Has Naruto's team left already?" I ask him.

"They did. They left about thirty minutes ago… All three of them looked very serious. Know what's up with them?"

"I don't have time to fill you in right now. We're following them. Let Lady Fifth know we're gone now."

"Will do. You all take care out there." Kotetsu said with a nod.

"Thanks." I say as I walk on out of the main gate.

My heart is beating abnormally fast to say I've only taken a few steps outside of the village. It's similar to that time three years ago… But now… I have something important to protect. Sasuke is not my objective this time around. Naruto is. And I'll do anything to keep him safe because he's become my personal 'king'. A man must ensure the safety and future of his most valuable person, and that's exactly what I intend to do.

A messenger hawk from Sai suddenly comes soaring my way, and I watch as it slams against the ground revealing a message.

" _ **Head southwest towards eight o'clock. We're still on the move and anticipate, from the message containing his whereabouts that he sent to Konoha, that we'll encounter Sasuke in half a day. He is stationed just outside the small town where a feudal lord frequently visits."**_  - Sai

"Alright! Let's not waste any time catching up to them!" I shout over my shoulder, then hurry down the instructed path. Ino and Choji are right on my heels and looking more determined than I expected them to be.

" _Naruto, I'm coming to help you!"_


	16. Explosion

My heart seems like it wants to jump from my chest. With even the calm winds blowing by as me and the others zip through the forest heading southwest, I can't stop myself from feeling anxious. Sasuke is waiting for me. This inescapable showdown of ours has finally arrived. Everything that we've been through, all the struggles and farces, have led up to this moment.

I look over my shoulder at Sakura-chan and Sai, who are aren't far behind me at all. I'm a bit surprised that I haven't left them in the dust, considering how hyped I am for this.

I wonder how they're feeling right now… especially Sakura-chan.

Every part of me wishes Kakashi-sensei was here. But I know he is in spirit. And when we all come back, Sasuke included because I'll drag him back if I have to, I'm sure he'll be waiting for us.

"Naruto." Sai called.

"Yeah?"

"I sent some of my super beasts out to scout ahead. Nothing seems out of the ordinary so far. But we should proceed with caution."

"Right." I replied, increasing speed.

I wonder if Shikamaru got Sai's message. If he didn't, he won't know where to go.

"Worried about Shikamaru?" Sakura-chan asked.

I am, but I'm not at the same time. Shikamaru is a capable guy. "He'll be fine. He's a good leader because he's so good at analyzing situations and having multiple reactive routes he can take. Let's just focus on-"

"Look out!" Sai suddenly shouted.

I look over my shoulder and see him tackle Sakura-chan out of the way as something tears through the air and pierces a nearby tree. I stop on a tree branch and see that it's Zabuza's sword. What is that doing here?! It should be at his grave!

"Sakura-chan! Sai! You two alright?!" They're on the ground due to Sai's lack of being able to knock Sakura-chan out of the way and also get footing on a tree.

"Fine…" Sakura-chan replied, getting up onto her feet and dusting herself off.

Sai looked around cautiously. "Where's the enemy?"

Suddenly, I can hear the sounds of paper bombs going off. "Guys! Get away from there!" I order. The explosions were so great in number that it knocked me back through the forest a long ways away from them. I slam into a tree and can't feel anything for a moment. "NO!" I scream as I slide to the ground.

I did not come here to lose comrades! I need to save them!

"What are you doing, Naruto? Playing around with those two and letting your guard down?"

My eyes go wide at the sound of that voice and I get up as quickly as I can. Suddenly, multiple shuriken fly my way. I use the tree I've just hit as cover and then return fire with my own shuriken. "Leave them out of this! This is between you and me!" I holler.

"All of you knew what you were getting yourselves into when you came to face me." Sasuke said.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp, electricity-charged pain in my left shoulder. Sasuke's Chidori blade had pierced the tree and ran it through. "Ugh…!"

"Don't be a fool, Naruto. Look how easy it's been for me to corner you." Sasuke said as he withdrew his blade.

"Naruto!"

I look up and see that it was Choji who called me. He's coming my way very quickly, jumping through the trees.

"Choji!"

"Sasuke, how could you?!" he shouted as he got closer.

"Jugo! Now!"

Out of nowhere, something sharp and gray flips through the air, headed straight for Choji. Just before it reaches him, Ino appears and throws a bomb kunai into Choji's back. The immediate explosion knocks him out of the way.

"Hey!" Choji shouted, coughing from the smoke rising off his back.

"Be grateful! I just saved your life!" Ino said. She rushed over to me and helped me up. "Sasuke-kun! Don't do this! You can still come back and have a good life in Konoha!"

I hear Sasuke scoff. "Mind your business." He told her.

"Where's Shikamaru? And Sakura-chan and Sai?" I asked desperately.

"They're all okay. They're fighting Sasuke-kun's allies. Shikamaru said he's going to come as soon as he can."

Sasuke has three allies. The one with orange hair who is a ways away from me, Ino, and Choji… If that shark-toothed guy and Karin are left, then they're the ones the others are dealing with. Three on two sounds like good odds, especially since Karin isn't a combatant type ninja.

"Sasuke, I'll handle these two." The one who tried attacking Choji said.

"Good. If you can, once you're done, go help Suigetsu." Sasuke replied.

"Ino…" I said, holding my shoulder.

"Don't talk. I'll do what I can to heal you!" she said, then put both her hands onto my wound. They started glowing and I could feel my wound seething as it closed.

"Can't fight alone, Naruto?" Sasuke said haughtily. "I didn't come here to play around. I came here to settle our score and remove you from existence."

"Ino, you and Choji can't lose. Take that guy out and go help… Shikamaru and the others."

"Right! It's two on one. We'll be fine! You stop Sasuke-kun and bring him home!"

"I will." I say, and then dash off in Sasuke's direction. I'm running at an angle towards him so he can follow me out of this forest.

When I look over my shoulder, I can see that he understands because he's following me. My heart is pumping tremendously, but I won't waver. I won't lose to him. If I can bring him back this time… then…

* * *

"I have a question for you, Naruto." Sasuke tells me from a good distance across the green field of high grass.

"I'm listening."

"What was the point of bringing your band of misfits?"

"I knew you'd have your allies and I didn't want them getting in my way. Team 7 may not consist of everyone I brought, but you've dragged the entire village into our problems. Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino are probably the best friends we've got outside our team. And they willingly came along to help me fight you. But… I didn't ever plan to let any of them interfere with our one-on-one."

"And if any of them dies? What if I personally killed them, Sakura, and Sai? What would you do?"

"You won't get the chance! I won't let you!" I roar, lifting my hands and performing the shadow clone hand sign.

"Same as always. Your loneliness and vulnerability shows in that technique, Naruto!" Raising his hand, he slammed it on the ground and sent a wave of electricity that dispelled a great many of my clones.

"Rrgh! Today is the day you stop fighting everyone and accept where you belong, ya know!" I say, then begin charging a Rasengan with the help of one of my remaining clones. Kurama begins charging me full of his chakra, which I'm thankful for. I need all the power I can get now!

"I don't know about that!" Sasuke formed the hand signs and charged a Chidori and awakened his Susano'o. "But I have every intention of putting an end to you here!"

The world seemed to slow down, coming to an almost complete halt, as I ran at Sasuke and he came at me. With the wind blowing gently, we made our way towards each other. The moment I jumped, Sasuke did too.

I throw my Rasengan out, and he throws out his Chidori at the same time and at the same speed. The resulting impact is a light so bright I have to close my eyes. I can feel my arm burning, but I don't care. Sasuke is so close, all I have to do is reach out and take hold of him…!


	17. Treasure Lost

"Sai!" I called out a bit nervously when I lost sight of him in this unreasonably large forest. He and I are taking on Sasuke's comrade—the one with the oversized sword and white hair. He's dangerous, murderous even. Losing sight of an ally around him could spell disaster for us.

I've also lost sight of Sakura, who went off in pursuit of the girl who was hiding out in the forest. This person we're fighting seemed adamant about her not being caught because of her "little problem". She took off with threatening words to him after he told her that.

"Shikamaru, I'll act as the decoy! You have to catch him in your jutsu so we can end this! I'm worried about the others!" Sai replied as he came back into my view, dodging a wave of water projectiles in the process.

"Right!"

Sai then jumped from tree to tree, sending out super beasts and bomb kunai at the enemy. While he does that, I run and take cover behind the trees, then send my shadow out. This forest is the perfect place to detain this guy.

"Like I'll fall for that! I  _heard_  you say you'd be a decoy by the way!" the guy said, tossing a light grenade at me.

I dodge the explosion and decide to go for a more direct approach. Sai relentlessly charges the enemy the moment I do. To my surprise, he smirks.

"Time to end this lame ass game!" he said, then seemed to evaporate in thin air. I should've remembered the info we got on him a long time ago. He can become water. Meaning he can move through the air freely due to the humidity.

Shit…

Both Sai and I stop, ready for the slightest movement to tell us where he is. The forest is anxiously quiet now. If only I hadn't let Ino go on ahead… She could easily detect the enemy for me. I can't believe I made such a blunder!

For Naruto's sake, I can't let this go wrong. I'll have to find the enemy myself!

"Shikamaru!" Sai shouted, then drew his short sword off his shoulder and ran towards me.

I don't know exactly what happened next… All I do know is that I felt a sharp pain ripping through my left arm and the left side of my back. I fall to my knees and grab hold of it, crying out in agony so much that it feels like my vocal chords would die.

It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that I've been hacked through like a loaf of bread.. The pain is so unbearable… "GOD! AAAAGH!"

I can't seem to be able to think of what do at the moment, which is unusual. I've only encountered this a few times before, so I'm still not a hundred percent sure about what happens to my mental processing in situations like these where my life is in danger. Time slows… Sai is coming towards me shouting something. My heartbeat is pounding through my chest… The enemy is behind me, probably about to deliver a final blow.

Damn it all… What a mess this has turned into.

"…"

Despite the desperation of this situation, the only thing I can think about… is Naruto. His smiling face. His desperate need for attention. His beautiful blonde hair and crystal blue eyes… Him lying on his bed in the dark under the moonlight, naked and waiting for me to come lay down with him. And… I don't know what it is, but I have the feeling that he's in danger.

"This is it." The enemy says. I could practically hear him smirking.

"No… I can't be stopped here!" I shout. He's in range now. "Engulfing Shadow Strangle Jutsu!" I formed the hand sign and ignored the agonizing pain in my torn arm. My shadows shoot out in all directions and everything goes black. I hope Sai wasn't too close… otherwise he might've been

"Ug—gwaaah!" I hear the man shout. I know by the sound of his body hitting the ground that he's been defeated.

"Shikamaru!" I can hear Sai call out, muffled by the sounds of my shadows.

"Sai…" I reply, hastily releasing the jutsu. Thank goodness he wasn't caught in it. I don't ever use it around allies because the shadows take hold of any people in my range. Not to mention it's something I had to develop on my own, so it hasn't been perfected. Not even dad knew about this technique. A bad side effect is that it drains all my chakra and energy…

"You've been wounded. We need to find Sakura or Ino. They can treat you."

"Y—yeah…" I whimper through heavy pants. I'm glad Naruto can't see me like this. I can hardly even stand now, trembling like a scared lamb, and I know my arm is a lost cause. I never want to look so vulnerable… I'll have to make Sai swear he won't say anything later.

"Come on." He says, helping me up off my knees. Despite my wanting to be alone while I struggle like this, I'm eternally grateful for his assistance. He was always the more dutiful and reasonable person of all of Team 7's members. Let's just hope he doesn't tell the others about what a crappy job I did in defeating this enemy.

* * *

"Do you know which direction Naruto went?" I ask as Sai and I move through the trees. We've decided to head in the direction Ino, Choji, and Sakura went.

"Ino and Choji were going this way because Ino sensed Sasuke and Naruto. We're going the right way."

I sigh in slight relief, but feel the worst is yet to come…

We near the end of the forest after a while of painful movement through the trees. It bothers me that I haven't seen any of my other comrades…

And just when I thought of the worst possible outcomes of the situation, Sai and I come to a complete halt when we see, slammed into a tree, Ino. "Ino!" I shout. Her body is embedded deep into it, and bruised pretty badly. I can tell that from even our great distance.

"Stay here!" Sai told me, gently putting me down and leaving me on the branch. He wasted no time in rushing over to her.

"Is she okay?!" I ask. I can't lose her… I'd rather it be me-

"She's… she's fine!" Sai says. "She has a pulse, but it looks like she's been hurt pretty badly. Probably some broken bones, too."

"There you guys are!"

Sai and I turn when we hear the sound of that voice. "Sakura!" Sai says in pleasant surprise. "We were just about to come find y-"

"I—Ino!" she yells. I can literally hear the pain in her cry.

Sai looks over Sakura's shoulder as she starts checking Ino's injuries. "She's okay! But she needs healing!"

"Right!" Sakura says, landing on the tree at an awkward position. She's good at chakra control, so she can hold herself up with just her feet while she tends to Ino's wound. Moving her out of the tree might do more harm than good and she knows that.

"Did you unleash your seal?" Sai asked as Sakura's Mystic Palm technique began glowing that bright glow it was famous for.

"I had to…" I can see the faint marks on her arms. "That woman was much more difficult than I expected her to be. But I managed to capture her and tie her up against a tree. I didn't know if I should bring her or leave her, but I figured you all would need me more."

"She fought you?" Sai said in disbelief.

"She used some strange chains after I smashed the ground to try destroying her hiding places. They stabbed me all over and I had no choice but to unleash the seal. She's tied up by them now though. Ironic." Sakura said with a quick chuckle.

As I watch them talking and regaining morale, I can't help but feel grateful that they're all okay. Ino's surface scrapes and bruises are even starting to fade away. We can win this, I know it.

"GUYS! LOOK OUT!" Choji's alarming voice came out of nowhere.

I am taken by surprise as a man with orange hair tears through the air and lands behind Sakura and Sai. I can't react at all thanks to the pain in my arm, and even as I do try, I lose my footing and fall from the tree to the ground.

I manage to look up and see the enemy slamming his intensely deformed arm into Sakura's back, forcing her up against the already hurt Ino, and using some energy as a boost. Sakura cries out in pain, yet I can't even hear her voice over the sound of whatever energy that guy is charging. The entire tree the three of them were on was ripped to pieces when he unleashed his attack and I watched, helpless, as they all went flying miles in the direction of the grassy field that was just beyond this forest.

Choji looks dazed from shock and fear about what just happened.

"CHOJI!" I roar in anger.

"Shi—kamaru!" he stutters nervously, even more afraid now that he's spotted me and the puddle of blood that I'm sure is all around me on the ground.

"You've got to save them! We can't let what happened last time happen again!" I tell him. And this seems to snap him back into reality. We almost lost so much that time around. This time, it was supposed to be different…!

The chakra wings suddenly appear and he expands, quadrupling in size. "Leave that guy to me! You stay right there and I'll be back with the others!"

I can do nothing but watch as Choji storms off, giant and angry. And just as he does, I see a light appear from a faraway place. A strong light… And something tells me that it's Naruto. I'm sure it's his doing. But… I can't move. I can't get up. My arm and back are bleeding out. Pain is coursing through me and making sleep seem desirable right now.

And that's all I could recall before I blacked out.

* * *

With the world blurred and darkened, I wander around looking for a light source.

My light…

Naruto…

Where is he?

I don't remember much. I can't even tell where I am. All I know is I'm surrounded by tall grass, walking—stumbling really—to where I saw that light coming from. I wander in what feels like a pain-induced trance, right past the bodies of my allies lying scattered about this grassland. Ino. Sai. Sakura. Even Choji, who seems to have beaten his opponent and is now unconscious. I walk past all of them.

Because what I seek is much, much further ahead.

And then finally… I can see him—my treasure.

I can see that he is in pain. His body is hunched over, holding his arm. He is still battling Sasuke.

"Naruto…" I whisper his name, knowing he's too far ahead of me to hear my tender call for him.

The feeling in my left arm is completely gone now. I couldn't form hand signs to help him even if I tried. Still, I carry on. He's there, begging me to protect him. Begging for my help. Always begging without uttering a single word to me. I know this to be true because I know him; I have all my life.

Yet… he's so far away.

And Sasuke is abusing him mercilessly. He's caught him and has him pinned to the ground. I can see his arm coming up and his fist flying down, smashing the beautiful face I've dreamt about for years and finally managed to wake up to in the mornings.

GOD! WHY CAN'T I WALK FASTER!? WHY IS IT THAT WHEN YOU GET CLOSER TO SOMETHING, THE FURTHER IT SEEMS TO GET FROM YOU!?

As the world comes back into focus, I can hear the sounds of Sasuke's fists connecting with Naruto's body. My lifelong prize is being destroyed and I can only hobble to try and stop it from happening.

"NARUTOOO…!" I scream out, drying my voice out.

This draws Sasuke's attention right away, and for the brief second before he was knocked back by Naruto, I could see that Naruto had done some work on him too. His face is bruised and his left arm is a similar state mine is in.

Naruto stands up and grapples Sasuke, who seems resistant and unwilling to lose.

"Shikamaru!" he called. Naruto heard my voice. I'm really... glad he did.

I can't reply. I can't do anything. All I do manage is to continue on towards him. But to my surprise, both he and Sasuke suddenly fell to the ground, exhausted from their fight. When I get closer, I can see that the grass around them has been annihilated. It's a rocky, destroyed mess of a battlefield. Probably the result of their jutsus clashing.

When I finally reach them, I feel the burst of energy that moved me this far leave me and I fall to my knees at Naruto's side. "Naruto.. I'll finish him! I'll finish this and finally put an end to everyone's suffering! Especially yours!" I say, pulling a kunai from my pouch. It's my last one.

"N—no! Please don't, Shikamaru!"

Sasuke tried sitting up, and he managed to for a second or two, but he ultimately fell back to the ground with a loud thud. "To think I'd be reduced to this…" he muttered in aggravation.

"I have to do it! He's hurt you so much!" I let out my years worth of pent up anger, looking over the unrecognizable face and body of the man I love. Naruto looks like he was run through a meat grinder several times, and it breaks my heart. This isn't fair, nor is it right for him to accept this kind of abuse. I can't let Sasuke continue to cause everyone so much pain! Especially not Naruto!

In spite of him telling me not to, I make to crawl over Naruto and stab Sasuke with my kunai. However, a bloody hand grabbing hold of mine stops me. "Please! Shikamaru, if you love me, don't do it." Naruto says, tears now spilling out of his reddened eyes. I can't remember the last time I saw Naruto cry like this…

And every part of me hates seeing him this way. He doesn't deserve this. He  _doesn't_. And now I finally know what that old saying about when someone you love is in pain, how you can feel it just as strongly as they do means.

"I can't let this go on… You're just gonna have to hate me because-"

"I don't want to hate you!" Naruto shouts, his eyes closed from his overflowing emotions.

Sasuke is lying helpless just a few inches away, watching as this unfolds. He seems otherwise unfazed by what should be a surprising dialogue for him to hear. I'm sure he didn't know about Naruto's and my relationship.

With Naruto's trembling, broken hand desperately gripping mine and refusing to let go, I pause. He's overemotional. Irrational.

Unswayable…

I know exactly what Sasuke means to him, what he means to their team… but I still feel the need to finish him here.

"Naruto, I don't want you to suffer anymore." I say calmly.

"If you kill him, I would suffer… forever..." He replied just as calmly, even though he is still crying. Despite all his previous pleas and cries about me not going through with this, that statement alone was enough to make me freeze and feel my heartbeat jumping through my chest. With his words being processed in my mind over and over, I let go of my kunai and watch it fall to the ground, my mind in emotional agony.

"Who knew your feelings would change so much…" Sasuke commented, then smirked, "To think after all those years of chasing Sakura-"

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted, then looked at me desperately even under that terrible swelling of his eyes. I have to look away from him to avoid remembering this and having it become a painful memory. His face doesn't belong in that condition. "Where are the others?" he asked me.

"They're not far from here." I reply. "We're all hurt pretty badly."

"S—Sakura-chan… is she okay? She can heal us!"

"She's…" I hesitate because I can tell he won't like what I'm going to say. "She's probably in the same condition as you."

And I was right about it. I can literally feel Naruto getting more upset at the mere thought. "Shikamaru, take them back to the village!"

"What?" I ask, turning to him in shock. "I can't just leave you here! Look at you!"

"I'm fine. I can still fight… and move." He groans even as his body tells him otherwise. He tries to convince me by sitting up, but fails to do so miserably. He's the worst liar I've ever known.

"I'm taking you home. Forget about Sasuke."

"Do me this favor. Shikamaru… If I lose anyone… especially Sakura-chan… I don't know if I could…" Naruto bites his already busted lip. "I'll be fine. I'll be back home shortly after you. That's my promise to you."

I stare at him for a second, and I know without a doubt that he's in so much pain on so many levels. I can tell he is sad, desperate to save everyone, and in need of someone to help him. He's reaching out to me and asking me to trust him. I can also tell he believes  _I_  can make this all better. Knowing he places so much of his trust in my hands makes me want to let him keep that faith forever. Because, unlike Sasuke, I'll  _always_  be there for him… no matter what capacity I find myself acting in.

And so, that's why I did what I did.

Acting on no one's desires but his, I left Naruto lying on the ground closest to the thing that kills him so insidiously.

It took me a while, but I managed to make my way all the way back to where I'd seen the others in the field, holding my broken arm the whole way. Choji has regained consciousness and greets me when I get close to him.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked.

"He's back there." I reply flatly.

"Is he okay? Are you going to… leave him…?"

"He's fine. And… yeah..."

"Is that wise? Is it what you want? You've had feelings for him forever…"

"…" I don't reply. I can't, honestly. All I do is make my way over to the fixation that Naruto's words and tears have always told me he treasured more than any jewel or person in this world. After kneeling down, I pick Sakura up onto my back, placing her where I felt the least pain, which is on the right side, and then stood up. Or, I tried to. I fell over and landed on my arm that was torn by that guy's large blade. When Choji heard me scream out in pain, he rushed over to me to try helping.

"Maybe I should carry her." He offered.

"No… I'll…" I'm struggling to talk now. "I'll take her. You take Sai and Ino." I instructed him. "You might end up taking a few other things too…" I say, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to.

He nodded and went over to take them, one under his arm and the other over his shoulder. We both began making our way back the way we came. I can't even begin to describe what this mission has done to me. Physically and emotionally I'm now in complete turmoil... All for Naruto and his dysfunctional team.

I make to say something, anything really, to Choji, but the unexpected cavalry arrived… a bit too late.

Kiba, Hinata, Neji, and Lee all came running our way, each one of them looking serious. They probably know what happened since Neji usually activates his Byakugan when searching for something or someone.

"Shikamaru!" Neji said, "What happened here?"

"How did you guys…" I paused, " _Tenten_  told you about this mission, didn't she?" I said.

"Yeah, and luckily she did." The Hyuga replied. "She would've come had she not been given a different mission."

"Sakura-san is hurt!" Lee shouted as if the world was coming to an end, then took her off my back. I can't say I was upset that he took her from me. Although I'd wanted to do it for Naruto, carrying her with one arm, plus an injured arm and a gaping wound that tore halfway across my back wasn't the most ideal of tasks…

I never really understood why he and Naruto had such an obsession with her, considering she turned them both down and wasn't always the nicest to them in the beginning, but I don't dwell on it. I guess many would raise similar disbeliefs about my interest in Naruto…

Hinata looked around desperately. "Where is Naruto-kun?!" she said, frantic as though a panic attack was upon her.

"Use your Byakugan!" Kiba ordered. She's too forgetful.

"Don't." I told her when I saw the veins start to appear around her eyes.

She halted activating it, shocked and confused. "Wh-"

"Naruto doesn't want us to interfere with him. He's coming back on his own."

"But… but what if he's hurt… I could… well… um…"

My irritation about Naruto's opt to stay behind, coupled with her insistence on her being able to help when she clearly couldn't, has reached a boiling point. "Hinata, this is surely going to come as a surprise to you, but Naruto has been going out with me for a while now. As in dating. If  _anyone_  here has feelings for him that would cloud their judgment and make leaving him behind seem like leaving a precious piece of themself in the process, it would be me. But to respect his wishes, I'm leaving Sasuke to him. This is a chance he can't get again… Therefore, if someone were to stand in his way now, it would cause him the most pain. All those years of him searching and struggling, and selflessly torturing himself just to stay a good friend would've been in vain. Be mindful of  _him_  and what he's going through and less concerned with what  _you_  want."

I couldn't stop myself from telling her that. Nor did I feel bad about it. She has been so blissfully unaware of the suffering Naruto has endured, yet she has the audacity to feel like she's the person who is solely responsible for being at his side. There is nothing she can do for him now and she needs to understand that.

The look on her face tells me she is only shocked at my words. In fact, everyone is shocked into pure silence. I don't exactly care what they might think, though. Someone needs to be mature and prevent another possible tragedy. Hinata has the tendency to cause disaster when she tries to play hero for Naruto, and I won't allow another mission to fail, even if both Naruto and Sasuke can hardly move…

Once Neji touches her shoulder and begins leading her back to the village, she seems to give in. A tear rolled down her cheek, but that's one drop compared to the oceanic typhoon that I'm feeling inside. Leaving the object of my affection in the hands of Sasuke Uchiha is a decision that I hope doesn't come back to haunt me.

I've let my feelings for Naruto outweigh the logical solution that was defeating Sasuke… If dad was here, I wonder if he'd scold me for that nonsensical decision… On the other hand, Asuma-sensei would probably tell me it was right to protect my king and his aspirations.

"You didn't have to be such a dick, Shikamaru." Kiba lowly barked as he came up to me and hoisted me up on his back.

I was so far into thought and so far removed from what I'd just told Hinata that I had to bring myself back to the present moment. "She needed to understand, and sometimes harshness is the only way to get through to someone. Besides, what I said was the truth. Can you deny that?"

"Whatever. By the way, I knew all along that you and Naruto were fucking. I just didn't say anything."

"I'm sure you could smell me all over him. Probably  _inside_  of him, too. You were the  _one_  person I was keeping the  _most_  distance from because I knew you'd find out with that nose of yours."

"Don't get cocky. I could drop you right here and keep going to Konoha without a hint of remorse."

"Speaking of which, Neji…" I call. When he turns, I give him an order. "We need to collect a few things on our way to the village. I'll need your Byakugan to help me find them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I can't begin to say how apprehensive I was while writing this chapter for so many reasons. But hey, drama is listed as part of the story *prepares flame shield anyway* (I must say though, putting Shikamaru in the midst of Team Seven's romantic overtones is incredibly interesting. And let me remind you that this story is ShikaNaru. You all are just encountering my takes on the characters and their relationships with each other-which in my opinion has been quite in-character.)
> 
> Anyway, if you thought this was bad, you're still in for a hell of a ride.


	18. What Blooms Beneath the Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long note:  
> I wrote this chapter easily, but it took a while to edit and all. Plus it includes a lot of things that do not agree with the ending we got. That's because I didn't care much for the ending, so this is going on as if it continues some time after chapter 698-ish (Naruto vs Sasuke fight and conclusion being an obvious alteration). 699 and 700 do not exist, because if they did, I'd lose faith in Naruto and Sakura's character developments altogether, not to mention romantic ones. Naruto's feelings being forcibly changed to suit Hinata over the girl he actually spent the whole series loving and Sakura just forgiving Sasuke and acting like nothing ever happened, plus the lack of happiness or Team 7 and Taka in the crappy 699 and 700 saddens me. So maybe I can fix it with this if for no one but myself.
> 
> I'm sorry to ramble, but this story has become my last serious tie to this series. I'm weening myself off it and this holds me to it. It's taking everything not to drop it, but I have an obligation to you all and myself to finish this thing. I will say there're only a few chapters left in it. Once this is done I can finally forget the Naruto series, which makes me happy because I do not follow or support it anymore after the ending and sequel nonsense coming out.

I'm lying on the ground and unable to move an inch at all. Sasuke has worked me over to the point that I've lost all the feeling in my body. And I won't even think about what's happened to my arm… I honestly can't believe how helpless I am right now. After all that training, after the war, after all my promises… Here I am, on the ground and unable to do anything at all!

I couldn't force Sasuke to come home now even if I talked his ear off.

I couldn't be there to protect Sakura-chan from getting hurt.

I even sent Shikamaru off to take care of what I  _should_  be able to accomplish on my own…

The last time I saw him, he was walking off at my request. He looked pretty hurt, too… I know for a fact he didn't want to leave me here…

"Damn you, Sasuke!" I shouted out in anger. " _You're_  the reason we're all hurt like this!" When I look over, I can see that he has the audacity to be  _smiling_.

"You're all such idiots… First of all, nobody told you to bring your wild entourage to this fight. Had you come alone, my party would've sat this one out and it would've been just me and you fighting." He replied, and almost laughed.

"Why should I believe that?! And anyway, why would any of them just sit by when you need to be forced into realizing where you belong!? You've caused so much pain in the Leaf, and if it weren't for your help in dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi, you'd be the top ranked criminal in everyone's bingo books!"

"Shut up… I'm tired of arguing."

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"Shut  _UP_! You idiot, someone is coming this way!"

I jump as the realization of the situation washes over me like a flood. If it's an enemy who's coming, like one of Sasuke's comrades or Orochimaru, I'm toast. Worse than toast, actually.

But by the same flip of the coin, if it's an ally…

"Naruto! Sasuke!"

I look up and see the clouds slowly begin uncovering the sun. It's Kakashi-sensei! He's coming from the mountain range.

"Kakashi-sensei!" I say when he reaches us, thanking the heavens that my luck hasn't run out just yet.

"What's going on here?!" Yamato asked as he arrived a few seconds later.

Kakashi-sensei doesn't look happy. "Oh boy… I step out of the village for a little while and this happens…"

I groan from the pain when he kneels down and picks me up on his shoulders. "That hurts!" I complain. I'm surely in for intensive medical care…

"Deal with it. And Yamato," sensei says, "Take Sasuke for me. We're going back to the village."

"Right." Yamato complied. I watched as he used his Wood-Style to bind Sasuke all over, leaving his head exposed, which Sasuke complained about, then picked him up on his back.

"I wasn't expecting to see you out here in the middle of this field, Naruto." Kakashi-sensei says as he begins running. "You two really did a number on the area…"

"I guess we couldn't help it." I smile. There's a great comfort in being on his back. I can't put my finger on it, but I know that when he's around, things'll get better.

"I take it if you two were here, there had to have been others?"

"Yeah."

"Sakura and Sai accompanied you, then?"

"Mhmm…" I mumble.

"Do you know if they're okay?"

"Not really…"

Kakashi-sensei sighs, seemingly with relief. "Cheer up, kiddo. I'm sure they're fine."

"Shikamaru and his team were here too. They were fighting Sasuke's comrades with Sakura-chan and Sai."

"Then they were fighting  _you_  as well?"

I make to reply at such a silly comment, but I realize what he means. Instead of saying anything, I look over my shoulder at Sasuke, who is riding uncomfortably perched on Yamato's back.

Yes, he and I are allies.

My mission to bring him home is over now. Things can finally go back to the way they used to be.

And I know I sent Shikamaru off, assuring him I could handle this, but laying there without being able to do anything finally let me know that I couldn't. I'm glad Kakashi-sensei was here to help, because he always seems to be the person to catch me and lift me up when everything is said and done. It's like following a tradition, I guess. Besides, I was also entrusting Shikamaru with Sakura-chan and the others' safety. So I don't feel so bad about sending him off and accepting help from someone else.

I hope he made it back in one piece.

* * *

The next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital room. This one's windows are open and the wind and sunlight are coming in. It's almost uncomfortably bright.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on them." I hear Sakura-chan's voice come from the hallway.

The door slides open and in she walks, looking fine to say she'd been in a similar condition as I was in.

"Sakura-chan!" I say. I try sitting up, but can't. She smiles and walks over to my bed, then sits down on it.

"Naruto, you really are something."

"I know."

"Thank you for all you've done. I wouldn't be where I am today without you to guide me."

"You know I'll always be there for you!" I grin after telling her that.

"Ugh, can you two cut it out… I'm getting sick over here…"

Sakura-chan leans over me and slides a curtain back, revealing Sasuke. He's lying in bed and looks incredibly annoyed as he gazes up at the ceiling.

"What's he doing in my room?!" I shout.

"Calm down." Sakura-chan says. "We're short on rooms at the moment. And with the mission going the way it did-"

"Where's Shikamaru?!" I ask her.

"Calm down. He's in the ICU. Tsunade-sama came in to take care of us all, so we were in safe hands. You and Sasuke were in worse condition than he was, so she looked at you two first. Shizune-san tended to all the others while she took care of you guys."

"Where is my team?" Sasuke asked.

"One of them is being held in the Interrogation Division, and the other two are here in the hospital. Shikamaru was the one who ordered they be brought here, so you should be thankful to him." Sakura-chan told him.

"Sasuke, don't tell me you're planning to attack the village!" I say, ready to fight him again if I have to.

"You're so annoying. Why would I do that? I'm not that interested in this place."

Sakura-chan gets comfortable on my bed, not  _Sasuke's_  I notice, by pulling one of her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arm around it. "Then are you leaving again?" she asked him.

"It depends." He replied.

Before either Sakura-chan or I could further inquire his motives, the door slid open again. This time, it was Tsunade-obaa-chan.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura-chan said in surprise.

"I'm glad to see you three together again after all that's happened." She said. "And although I would rather let you enjoy the nostalgia and catch up, there's some things I need to ask Sasuke."

"I'm listening." Sasuke said.

"About your motives…" Tsunade-obaa-chan began, "Are you still pursuing the Hokage seat?"

"Not really. I'm more interested in my clan at the moment."

"Well, that's perfect. I was about to ask you about that."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"The girl you're traveling with, the one who is Uzumaki, there's something we found out about her…"

"Yeah?"

"Let's just say I hope you're looking forward to being a father."

The room flushes with a deafening silence at the sound of that news. Even the birds and wind seem to stop outside at the gravity of it. Both Sakura-chan and I look at each other, then cautiously at Sasuke. He seems a bit surprised to hear this. But rebuilding the Uchiha was his ultimate goal, right…?

"Karin is pregnant? How… how far along is she?" he finally asked.

"About five weeks. When Shizune treated her before sending her to Ibiki, she could feel the child's chakra already starting to form." Sasuke sat silent and turned to look out the window. "Congratulations. I suppose twenty-six years old isn't too young for you to start the rebuilding of your clan. Now, on to what you plan to do. I am allowing you to stay in the village, with some reservations… But regardless, you're free to find a place to settle down if you want."

"I want the Uchiha Compound. But I want to expand it some so it's not sectioned off anymore." Sasuke said, leaving no room for negotiation. Who does he think he's talking to, anyway…?

"I'll need you to come to my office to discuss just how far you want to expand, but the rights to the compound have always been yours and Itachi's. But let me make this clear. From this day forth, the bad blood between Senju and Uchiha will be eradicated. This is the time for rebuilding, not reigniting the flames of war. Don't forget why it was that Itachi did what he did."

Sasuke sits up, obviously much more healed than I am, and stares into Tsunade-obaa-chan's eyes. "As long as the discrimination stops, so will the hatred. Uchiha should have just as much right to claim the Hokage seat as the Senju, or anyone else for that matter."

"We've already discussed this. There are no qualms with that from the higher echelon's end. And watch your tone. Uchiha or not, I will knock you into next year if you continue to speak to me with that attitude."

After closing his eyes, Sasuke smiled, "Everyone in this village is the same…"

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura-chan called, "Are we going to let his other comrades stay here as well?"

"If they want. The war has shined light on the rotting trees and has let the buds sprout anew. Even Orochimaru would be allowed to set foot in the village, should he desire. Though he would be heavily monitored..." She answered. After that, she smiled at me and then left the three of us in the room.

"Sasuke, where are you going?" I ask when I see him getting out of bed. The bastard must've been pretending or something because I still feel like shit even with Kurama healing me.

"I'm going out. I don't have to tell you where I'm going all the time, dobe. We're not married." He replied.

"Hey, you're not supposed to leave until you're discharged…" Sakura-chan told him.

"So?"

"If I was on duty, I'd  _force_  you to stay in your room. But I'm off today and I don't want to deal with your moods… So go if you're going to, go. Use the back stairwell and no one will see you."

I'm a bit surprised at her change in attitude towards Sasuke. Or… maybe she's just acting how she's been feeling about him all this time since he left. She has no real reason to pursue him after everything he's put her through, but it'll definitely be an adjustment for me to be around the two of them and not see her pining after him.

When Sasuke left, I forced myself to sit up. Sakura-chan tried to stop me, advising me that I stay in bed, but I can't wait around. "I'm going to go see Shikamaru."

"Oh… right. Well, I guess. Want me to go with? I'm sure if he's out of the ICU, he's in a room with Choji."

"Sure."

It was when I looked down that I noticed that my arm was bandaged really tightly. Seems like I was fortunate enough to not lose it.

* * *

 

"Naruto and Sakura?" Choji said when he saw us coming into the room.

"Hey, Choji!" I greeted.

"How're Shikamaru and Ino?" Sakura-chan asked.

"Ino's up and about. She stepped out to get us lunch. Shikamaru is doing a lot better, thankfully."

I hurry over to the bed and pull back the curtains. And I see him lying there, looking really calm under the blankets. I can't help but feel overwhelmed with joy that he's okay. The last time I saw him, he was in a really bad shape. When I put a knee on his bed to get closer, I hear footsteps behind me.

"Hey, Naruto…" Sakura-chan calls calmly.

"Hmm?"

"Don't wake him. Let him sleep and wake up on his own-"

"What are you two doing?!" Ino shouted, scaring both Sakura-chan and I. I actually almost fell off the bed.

I was about to tell her to keep it down, but a hand touching mine shocks me. I whip around and see Shikamaru staring at me. He looks incredibly serious considering he just woke up.

"Shikamaru," I begin, "I'm glad you're okay!"

"Likewise." He responded.

"How's your arm?"

After pulling the sheets back, he showed me the bandage. "It's better. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be able to save it."

"Well you know our medics are top notch!" I told him with a grin.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon." Ino said to Shikamaru as she came over. "So I didn't get you lunch… But it's okay. You can just share Choji's. He's got more than enough."

"That's fine." Shikamaru told her.

"Sakura-chan, can I leave in a bit?" I ask after getting off Shikamaru's bed.

"You can leave now if you want. Like I told Sasuke-kun, you're free to go. But be back by six."

"Where are  _you_  going?" Ino asked me.

"Sasuke is back in the village. I'm gonna see what he's doing before I gotta stay here all night. And there's something I need to give him." I turn and look at Shikamaru. "I'll come back when you're feeling better. And when the loud girls aren't around." I whispered the last part.

I didn't receive a reply, only a nod. And with it, I was on my way out of the hospital.

After realizing I was in hospital clothes, which I wouldn't be able to blend in to the village in, I had to change into something else. Luckily, my house isn't that far. Shikamaru left a sweater on my couch, so I wore that along with some of my signature pants. I should seriously consider updating my style…

Anyway, I grabbed what I needed and left my house.

"Sasuke…" I commented under my breath, then looked around in all directions. Where would he be? Where would he possibly want to go…? "Oh! Duh!"

* * *

 

"Sasuke isn't here." Ibiki told me flatly.

I was so sure he'd come here. Isn't this where they were keeping Karin? "Did he come by?" I ask.

"Yes. He said he had permission from the Fifth to see one of his comrades, then I let him in."

"Is it Karin? Is she still here?"

"Of course. We don't just let people wander off on their own without permission from the Hokage."

"Can I see her? Please?"

"Why would I let you do that? You think I'll give you special treatment because you two are related? I don't think so."

"I'm begging you. C'mon, aren't I your favorite?" I ask, flashing my grin at him.

"… Five minutes. I'll give you five before I come drag you out of there. It's room twelve."

"Thanks!" I shout, and then dash down the hallway.

As I reach room twelve, I see someone nearly falling out of it trying to close the door behind himself.

"And stay out!" I hear a woman roar.

"Are you okay?" I ask the person, who works here I'm guessing.

"Yeah. We get people like that sometimes who are just…  _difficult_  to handle. I honestly don't think she'll be here much longer. We have no further reasons to question her since Sasuke isn't a criminal anymore."

"Ibiki said I could stop in for a few."

"Oh, then go on ahead. I'll wait out here just in case." The guard told me.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me in."

Without hesitation, I enter the room. I'm not afraid or anything because there's nothing I can't take from a woman with a temper after a lifetime of being with Sakura-chan or meeting my mom.

"I thought I said—Oh, hey! You're that guy, Naruto! Sasuke's old ally!" Karin said.

"Yeah. I actually stopped by to ask you where he is."

"How should I know!? He dropped in to check on me, then touched my stomach and left! That jerk…"

I smiled deviously, eager to spill the beans. "Sasuke knows about the baby."

"WHAT?!" It's like the world has momentarily come to an end… Karin is… kinda scary…

I feel a lot less devious and a lot more concerned for my safety. "He found out a little while ago. He's probably kinda excited about it." I say, hoping that'll calm her down.

"How do  _you_  know about any of this?!"

"I—I have my resources…"

"Well, did you come to interrogate me? I have nothing to say to you guys! I already told that to your annoying pals here who tried questioning me!"

It seems to me that this interaction is pretty much over. "No. I don't have much to say, actually. But if you get outta here, feel free to visit me. I'm sure you'd get along with me and the others." Karin looks so shocked that her mouth is hanging open. "Sasuke isn't the best person to be around 24/7, so think of us as friends you can just chat with. Oh, and since I'm sure no one has told you this since you got here, welcome to the Leaf." I say, then leave her with a smile and a wave.

* * *

I found myself heading to the Uchiha compound, as I know that's probably the only other place Sasuke would go. As it comes into sight, I can't help but feel glad. Glad that Sasuke survived. That he has started rebuilding his clan. That he's back here in the village.

Things can finally go back to normal for Team Seven.

Or…

Maybe not.

Considering Sai and Yamato-sensei are new members, and that we're all grown up now, things might never be exactly like they used to be. But despite the changes, despite the conflicts we've endured, and despite all the pain, we stuck together. And that's all I ever really wanted…

The second I step into the compound, a bit cautiously, I catch sight of Sasuke. He is here carrying some old boxes around with the help of his two companions.

"Hey Sasuke, your boyfriend is here." The white-haired one joked. He must've thought I couldn't hear him since they're so far away, but I  _can_  and it's annoying that he called me that.

Sasuke stops what he's doing and looks my way. I can see him grin smugly.

"What are you doing here, dobe?" He asks when I finally get to him.

"I came to give this to you." I reply. After pulling his old headband out from my pouch, I can see an immediate change in attitude from him.

"You kept that thing after all this time?" he says.

"Yeah, because I knew you'd come back eventually."

Sasuke takes it from me and runs his thumb across the cut over the Konoha symbol. "Don't be so sure. I don't plan on being here too much." He finally says after a few moments of silence—probably filled with nostalgia for him. "Apart from having a nest for my clan, I have my own priorities and they don't consist of sticking around you and Sakura all the time."

"I was sure you'd do something like that. But as long as you don't deny the bonds we have in Team Seven and come home from time to time, you're free to do whatever you want. Besides, I'm sure you'll be around to raise your kid."

"Heh, he orders you around more than Karin." The shark-toothed guy whispers.

Sasuke looks over his shoulder and squints. "Suigetsu." He said, earning a shrug from his friend. He then looked back at me and smiled. "You've surely got bigger concerns than me, right? Becoming Hokage, following in Jiraiya's footsteps, and…" he squinted with a confused look as he leaned in close to me. "You're  _dating_  Shikamaru? I can't remember all that I heard after our fight, but that vaguely rings a bell."

"It's my business, teme!" I shout, then whip around and start marching away. He's so weird sometimes!

But regardless, now that that's done I can head on back to the others.

* * *

I slipped back into the hospital, unseen 'cuz any ninja should be able to do that. Even if the back door was just unlocked and no one was around, I still got in undetected…

Getting back to my hall was a cinch. But I knew no one would be in my room since Sasuke left without permission and Sakura-chan was out and about, so I headed on back to Shikamaru's room. On my way, I spotted Sai through some glass doors that led to a balcony. He was drawing something.

I slid the door open and walked up behind him. "Hey Sai." I said.

"Hello, Naruto." He replied with a smile.

"What are you drawing?"

He lifted his pen and pointed it out towards the Hokage mound. "The Hokage faces. I was documenting it before I forget to do so."

"It'll be there forever, you know."

"Yes, but it will change with time. So I want to capture it as it is, and then do the same when the next face is added."

I raise an eyebrow. I'm a bit confused. "What are you talking about? Tsunade-obaa-chan isn't going anywhere."

"Naruto, you don't know…? A new Hokage is going to be elected soon. There's been talk in ROOT and even some of the Jonins are talking about it. I don't know who it will be, though."

I'm a bit shocked and hurt. I didn't know any of this talk was going around. Why didn't Granny tell me? "You really don't know who it's gonna be?" I ask.

"No. But Tsunade-sama said she would be stepping out of office in a few months."

"Shit! Well, thanks for the info! I'll catch you around!" I tell him, then hurry off. "Oh, and I'm glad you're doin' alright after that crazy battle!"

"I'm glad you were able to keep your promise." I hear him say as I dash off.

* * *

I looked at the clock on the wall in Shikamaru and Choji's room as I walked into it. Thankfully I made it back here way before six. I know I'd get an earful from both Sakura-chan and especially Tsunade-obaa-chan if I left before it was time to check out. Or… Well, I'm not sure why I had to be back by six, but whatever.

To my surprise, Choji is nowhere to be seen. Nor is Ino for that matter.

"Shikamaru." I call lowly as I walk over to his bed.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. He's been so serious lately…

"Hey Naruto."

Quickly, I sit down right beside him and smile. "I can't even begin to thank you for all the help you've given me. The mission probably would've failed without you there."

He smiled and closed his eyes. It's his first smile since we got back. "I'll always be there to help you. You know that."

"Yeah…"

"How's Sai? He's the only one I haven't seen around."

"Oh, he's fine. Sasuke too. Actually, it seems like everyone came out of this mission with just injuries."

"That's good."

"I kinda heard from Sai a long time ago that you were probably still shouldering the burden of the first mission's failure… But I want you to know that you giving the effort to help reunite my team, and giving that same effort all these years later means the world to me." I tell him. And instinctively, I lean in and gently kiss him on the lips.

However, when I feel him lightly push me away with his good arm, I'm confused.

"Naruto…" he began. Any sense of relief and happiness I just sensed from him has vanished. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I do. And I love  _you_." I reassure him and give a smile, trying to make him smile again. It's killing me that he won't show me he's happy. Even the look in his eyes is making me nervous.

It doesn't work though, and he turns his attention away from me for a few seconds before he looks back and responds. "I know. And I'll always be grateful that I could finally convince you to. But… I think for your sake, as well as mine, we should take a break from our relationship."


	19. Three Percent Certainty

The gravity of what I told Naruto didn't actually hit me until a while after I said it. It came out like a river because the decision was one I was weighing in my mind for a while now, and it came out so easily when I couldn't hold it in any longer. Of course, every part of me knew that from the time we were kids that Naruto had an instinctive habit of chasing Sasuke… But I believe all of the doubts and worries first truly started appearing in my mind when he hastily left me in the village to go looking for Sasuke on a vague lead with his team. Ever since, I've just been keeping the idea around, letting it fester. When he asked me to go on and leave him and Sasuke to finish their fight, that's when I made the decision to tell him.

Now, I don't mean to imply that I've lost my interest in or feelings for Naruto. Nor have I lost my attraction to him. We grew up together, and falling for him was a slow and painful process. It was painful for a few reasons. One being that I had to come to terms with actually  _loving_  another guy. Another was that I had to hide it from him—which wasn't too hard considering how dense he can be—when all I wanted to do was tell him how I felt. But the primary reason was because of the people who he has been more or less involved with.

I've had to sit back and watch as he shamelessly wooed Sakura. As he fearlessly chased Sasuke for his friendship and whatever it was that was beyond that for the two of them. I even had to watch Hinata pine after him, feeling just as helpless as she ultimately was. She had no chance with him because she lacked any of the characteristics Sakura had which he wanted. I wasn't in the running, or so I thought, because I was a male. But none of that amounted to anything in the end because none of those people understand or love him the way I do.

Sakura might care for him on deeper levels than I can imagine she might, and I actually fear that what I've told Naruto might send him straight to her arms, but I know the conditions for them getting together are... great, for lack of a better word. And Naruto is still discovering his sexuality thanks to me. He's now exposed to something other than the standard idea that males like females, so I'm comfortable believing the two of them won't get together.

Sasuke and his approval are at the center of Naruto's attention, much like his devotion to getting Sakura's affection. But somewhere deep in my mind, I can't imagine the two of them as anything more than just friends. It's a feeling I've had for a while from simply observing them. And it's been something I've considered since our academy days when  _I_  first started noticing my interest in Naruto. It's only natural that someone interested in pursuing him pay close attention to Sasuke. After all this time though, if nothing ever happened between them, I can safely assume it won't. That doesn't mean I'm not jealous of how great a portion of Naruto's conscious Sasuke encompasses…

Hinata isn't a concern to me. I only bring her up because of what knowing how she felt about Naruto did to me over the years—annoyed me. Naruto himself hardly knows her, let alone  _willingly_ pays her any attention. If he wanted her, he could've had her a  _long_  time ago, which is why she's not a concern. He's not an idiot who can't read between the lines. He knows she has feelings for him. Hell, she practically  _throws_  her cat at him, yet he has never voluntarily paid any attention to her that wasn't circumstantial like him standing up for her or any of their coincidental meetings. Besides, as rumor has it, her time is being devoted to taking over as her clan's leader.

The Naruto I know likes a challenge, not just settling for someone because he knows they're interested. It's likely one of the reasons he spent so much time going after Sakura. The thought makes me laugh because I came around and flipped his world on its head, making  _him_  the person being pursued by a persistent guy. And I guess it worked out because we did actually start dating for a while there. But even though I changed his mind about who he was interested in, I never once felt like he was settling for me. Honestly, it seemed like he just wanted to try something new; be adventurous and lend himself to what he didn't know.

Still, poor Naruto has been at the center of a mess of chaos, both romantic and emotional, for  _so_  long. And there are specific reasons I'm suggesting this break up.

I love him.

I do.

I love him so much it hurts sometimes. But I can't be with him. Not now. Not with everything that's going on. And thanks to the results of this mission, I've also come to a decision about myself …

But to get back to what happened…

As anyone who just witnessed this seemingly sudden decision might be wondering, when I told Naruto we needed a break, he wasn't happy. He immediately asked me why, of course, and I told him the reason should be obvious. Not only did I tell him that, but I also said that I needed time to myself.

He took this the wrong way because he sat on my bed in silence for a minute, and then hastily left my room without any more objections. It was odd of him to not fight me, but maybe he thought if I said it, it must have been true.

I hate seeing him in pain like that, but I know this time will be good for both of us. And once things have settled down, maybe then we can see what we can be.

It's been a few hours since he left my room, and I've been here alone ever since. Choji left a while ago in search of more food long before Naruto even came. Ino is probably spending some time with Sakura. The two of them, surprisingly enough, aren't hounding Sasuke anymore. Instead of sitting at his bedside like they did when we were Gennin, the two of them spent their time either here with me and Choji or helping Tsunade-sama with patients. Sakura told us she was going to visit  _Naruto_ when she left earlier, not Sasuke. Ever the analyst, I found her choice to be telltale. And I realize that Naruto has become more important to her than Sasuke.

Who could blame her for that?

As for me, now I'm just lying in bed, staring out the window at the sunset sky. The window is open and a faint smell of the hospital garden is drifting into my room. I can't distinguish a particular flower; I just know the aroma is a compilation of many.

"Shikamaru."

I look over to the doorway and see Sakura standing there.

I wonder if Naruto has already told her about what he and I discussed.

"What's up?" I say, sitting up a bit. Not too much though, because my arm is still in pain. Ino couldn't heal it because, unlike Sakura and Tsunade-sama, she doesn't have reserves of chakra. Sakura was out of chakra and Tsunade-sama was busy, so my arm was bandaged by Shizune-san and I was told it would be looked at later. Shizune-san was out of chakra, too, thanks to prior engagements here at the hospital before we arrived back home.

"I came to say thanks for your help with our mission. Not only once, but twice you stepped up to help my team. The first time, you'd  _just_  become a Chunin. I don't know if it was for all of us or if you were doing it just for Naruto…" she said as she came in and stopped beside my bed, "But I'm grateful to you either way."

I couldn't help but stop and take note that she's wearing one of her clan's dresses that stops at her thighs over some short, white leggings. And her hair is a bit more tamed than usual, even though she's not wearing a headband.

"Well, if I'm honest," I begin, "It was for both those reasons and more. I wanted your team back to the way it used to be, I wanted Naruto to stop putting himself in danger and suffering, and… I wanted things to be like old times; all the teams together again. Because we're comrades who grew up together. That means something to me."

Sakura stood silent with a surprised look on her face. Eventually, a smile graced her lips. "Shikamaru, you might just be one of the best the Leaf has to offer as both a shinobi and a person. Naruto is really lucky you want to be with him."

"Thanks." I say with an embarrassed chuckle. Honestly, her words lead me to two conclusions. The first is that she doesn't know Naruto and I aren't together right now. The second is that, despite my decision, I get a sincere feeling that I really  _do_  want to be with Naruto. Someday when we're ready, he and I… hopefully… have a future together… and our friends clearly support us.

"Anyway, I came here to take a closer look at your arm. Now that I've got some chakra back, that is." She said, then came and sat down on my bed.

I can't put my finger on it, but even though I'm in a constant state of confusion about Naruto's interest in her, I think I can see why he might now. She is good looking as far as women go. And she's surprisingly caring and inviting when she wants to be. It's a side of her I'm not used to seeing. Our history is one where I only ever knew her to be arguing with Naruto or Ino, pining after Sasuke, or just being obnoxious… like Naruto…

Regardless of seeing her this way,  _she_ is not my type. I've vested my interest in her blonde teammate.

As she takes the bandages off my arm, I sucked in air through my teeth from the pain. The gauze wound up stuck to the wound that was healing.

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru. But don't worry, like I said, I've got more chakra now. I can heal it completely, though you might still experience slight pain afterwards."

"Sakura," I say.

"Hm?" she looks up at me.

"Take care of Naruto when I can't. I know Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-sensei, and even Yamato are there for him, but you're the person he trusts and I think I can leave him to your capable hands when I'm not around."

Sakura momentarily stopped unbandaging my arm and looked at me with a grin, "Are you going somewhere?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I've got some training to do. But I'm talking about for the rest of our lives. I won't always be able to be there for him, so I need you to help me."

"I don't need you to tell me that. But Shikamaru, I don't know that my role in his life will be as big with you around. Everyone needs their friends, sure, but a partner is a different story. Don't ask me for help when I know you're more than capable of helping Naruto." She said, then put her hands on my now fully unwrapped arm and started using her Mystic Palm technique. "Then again, you are a  _man_. Men aren't as good with intimacy as women are. I can see why you'd ask something like this of me. But you two will be fine."

"…" I don't reply. She doesn't know that I'm asking her to keep an eye on him while I'm gone. But she'll realize that soon enough.

"Oh, by the way! I don't know if word got to you just yet, but Ino and I are throwing a reunion party for all of us rookies and Lee's team. We decided that with the war being so many years behind us, Kakashi-sensei becoming Hokage in a few weeks, and Sasuke finally back, it's about time we celebrated together again. All of us haven't been in the same place since the war."

"Really…?" I say admittedly absent-mindedly because my immediate thought is about Naruto. I'm sure he'll be there, and I'm also sure speculations will go around when people see we're spending time apart in the same setting. After blowing up on Hinata, I feel kinda bad. Not about what I told her, of course. I meant every word of what I said. But the big reveal of us dating now seems rather irrelevant now that we're not. God, Kiba is going to rub my nose in it like the dog he is if he finds out…

"Hello?" Sakura said, interrupting my train of thought by waving her hand in my face.

"Oh… Yeah?" I say.

"You're coming, right? It's this Saturday."

"…Why not…?"

"You mean,  _'_ I'm _definitely_ coming', right?"

"I'm sure that's what I meant." I say with a smile. Guess I'll deal with the talks when they come.

* * *

I must be losing myself because I've made some decisions that have come back to bite me. Revealing to the others that Naruto and I were dating in such a heated moment only to suggest a break to him a day later was a large misstep. The second was that I told my mother about him and me, then left home like I wasn't coming back.

Sure, I'm called a genius. And sure, I anticipate all the possible outcomes for the scenarios I find myself in. But this…  _love_ … is different. It's something I'm  _not_  used to. All I do know is that the many torments and conflicts of love can be drawn out over a lifetime.

All of this just to say I don't know exactly what I'm doing.

As to what I'm currently doing…

I was released from the hospital earlier this morning after spending a night there. Before I knew anything, Choji had made the suggestion that I stay with him. He and I talked a while ago about what I told my mom, and he knows I don't really want to go back to my house…

I originally anticipated that I'd be staying with Naruto… One can only laugh at the irony, really.

So now I'm on my way home to pick up some of my things to bring to Choji's. My arm is much better, thanks to Sakura, so I can take care of this by myself. Naruto isn't the only one who can perform the Shadow Clone Technique, as a side note.

As I head through the village, I watch the villagers going about their lives. This place has changed so much since I was a kid. There are more people living here; more kids running about, too. Renovations are even driving the village to expand. It's like we're progressing towards some strange, new world.

Kakashi-sensei will be taking over as Hokage, and it makes me wonder what that will do for the village. I also wonder what kind of Hokage Naruto would be. He's put so much effort into pursuing the title, and I can only hope he'll be a great one.

But…

Something else is eating away at me. I know it's his dream, but if the world is progressing, I wonder what role the Kages will play in it. Or even the whole ninja system now that wars and conflicts are over. That title of Hokage is what drove the Uchiha to feel discriminated against and ultimately their eradication…

It might be an antiquated position, but every part of me wants Naruto to achieve it because that's what he's always wanted.

"Hey, Shikamaru!"

I stop in my tracks and look over my shoulder to see Konohamaru coming my way, his incessantly long scarf dragging on the ground as he walks. I wonder what he wants with me.

"Hey." I say.

When he reaches me, he seems confused. "Have you seen Naruto?" he asked.

"No, I haven't. Check Ichiraku's, or look at his house, or go ask Sakura—he's probably with her." I reply simply. "Those would yield the best results for anyone who's looking for him."

"I already did all those things! He wasn't at Ichiraku's, Sakura hasn't seen him since yesterday, and I looked in the windows in his house and he's not there!" he said, stomping his foot on the ground. He really is just a child, no matter how much growing he does. "He's not anywhere to be found. I even checked the training field."

My eyes trail past the temper-fueled, rambling teen in front of me to the Hokage mound in the distance. I can't help but recall the date Naruto and I just had before that mission… He was so relieved, happy, and grateful to me for it.

I really do believe he wouldn't be able to move on from what we had, because I can't. And in some ways it's bad, but in some ways, it's also good…

Konohamaru folded his arms. "Hey, are you listening to me?!"

"Yeah. Look, Naruto could be anywhere in this village. Why did you stop me?"

Lips smacked. "Don't act stupid. It's unbecoming of a genius."

I can't tell if he's mocking me, but I think he is. "What…?"

"I know you two are dating." He said with the straightest face I'd seen on him.

I mean… What the fuck, though?

Why is word spreading so much? Is nothing private in this village anymore?

"I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since we were at the hospital yesterday."

"Hmm… That's weird. Aren't people who date supposed to communicate?"

"I've got things to do, and so does he. We'll see each other when we have time. Right now, I need to get back to my plans. So scamper along. You'll bump into him eventually." I'm actually pretty sure Naruto's around. He might just want to be alone after yesterday…

When Konohamaru turned to leave, I heard him mutter something unintelligible, but I made out Temari's name for sure. It irritates me that people associate us so closely for whatever irrelevant reasons they do. I let it slide and continue on my way. I don't have time to get annoyed today.

* * *

Peaceful can't begin to describe the feel around my house as I stand waiting at the front door. The wind is moving through the trees, making the branches sway gently in the calmness of the day. The birds are chirping to each other, which isn't as annoying to me as it usually is.

I look at the door and don't know if I should knock, or if I should just use my key to get inside. If I'm not welcome, just entering isn't a good idea. This whole thing is just… wrong…

Someone taps my shoulder and I whip around. "Ino?"

"Hey, you. What're you up to? Just standing around your front door?" she asked, then ran her hand through her long ponytail.

"I'm… I told my mom about Naruto before I left." I admit. Why even hide it? She would've found out somehow.

"Oh my goodness! How'd she take it!?"

"I don't know. I left before she could say much about it."

"For a genius, you-"

"Enough…" I interrupt her, putting my hand up. I don't know what she's doing here, but I'm actually kinda glad she is here. Maybe she can help me through this. "I'm about to move my stuff to Choji's."

"Well, guess I'll see ya." She said, trying to get out of helping me.

"Ino, don't just ditch me. I need your help."

"Ugh… I guess if you ' _need_ ' me."

"You don't even have to help me move. Just stick with me." Be my friend, is what I want to tell her.

She smiles and walks right past me. "You're never gonna do it." She said as she knocked the door. When I realized what she was about to do, I tried to stop her, but my body wouldn't move.

Now, my heart is nearly jumping from my chest. But I guess she does know me… I stand nervously, but she seems rather unbothered about the thought of seeing my mother. It's probably because she's done nothing wrong. And I guess two devils don't fear each other…

When the lock clicks, I look at the door and try calming myself. I've got nothing to be afraid of.

My mother opened the door and her eyes moved between Ino and me. I can't sense anything from her. She wears a good poker face when she wants to…

"Hiya, Ms. Nara!" Ino smiled at her.

"Ino. How's the family doing?" my mom asked.

"Everyone's doing well. Looks like you are doing just fine here."

"Did my son drag you here with him?"

"Oh no." Ino giggled, "I just happened to notice him coming here and I was about to ask him if he was going to come to my party."

"Party?" mom echoed. "Come in.  _Both_  of you." she said, her sharp eyes running me through.

Ino hugged her and walked in. "Aw thanks!" she told her.

I followed her, walking past my mom with an admittedly defeated look on my face. Why does seeing her make me feel so… ashamed…? For all the talk I gave Naruto when I was trying to convince him to date me, it sure seems like I need someone to tell me that now.

Moms are… different than the rest of the world. You don't want to let them down. You want them to love you. The thought of them turning you away and disowning you because of who you are is hurtful. And sure, you could get over it in time, but the pain wouldn't just vanish.

Our maternal influences are some of the most vital influences we have as humans.

"Shikamaru, did you say you were moving some things?" Ino asked as she made her way into the kitchen. Damn her for making it so obvious!

"Is that true?" Mom asked me.

I stop in my tracks and turn, half facing her in the hallway. "Yeah. I can't… I can't stay here after all the things that were said." I reply.

"You think so?"

"Well, yeah… I mean, I know me dating guys isn't what you wanted. I know you wanted me to take over the clan as leader and have kids. I know you're disappointed. And I know I can't remedy the situation. I don't belong here."

Mom stands there, unmoving and not uttering a response.

It's so quiet that I hear Ino take a seat at the table in the kitchen. My throat dries and I turn to go upstairs to my room. "I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you." I finish.

"Shikamaru." I hear. I stop, but I don't turn around. "If you think I wouldn't love my baby boy over something like this… If you think I'd cast you out… You've severely misjudged me!" She said, her voice faltering a bit. That's the first time in my life I've ever known her to let her emotions get the better of her… Apart from anger, that is…

"Mom…" I turn and see that she is fighting back tears.

"If you're happy… I can't tell you to live any other way. And with that said, if you're leaving home, at least you can know I'm not forcing you to go." She finished, and then wiped her eyes. "Ino, dear… tell me more about this party!" She said as she went on into the kitchen, clearly wanting to move on from this matter.

I stand on the stairs, not really knowing what to do. I'd had my mind made up. I even prepared myself for her to never want to see me again. But this… this outcome was one I'd only imagined occurring with less than three percent certainty.

A rarity among rarities in life.

Just like the time when I survived that battle with the ambush of Sound Ninja I volunteered to be the bait for. Or like when I was promoted to Chunin. Or like when Sasuke left. …Or like when Naruto agreed to date me…

Thinking back to how hard I had to try to convince him to say yes, I feel pretty low for breaking up with him so soon after that…

But as it pertains to my mother, I had no true path beyond this point in this outcome because I was sure it wouldn't occur. I suppose I'll just have to act accordingly.


	20. Gravities

The moon encompasses a larger portion of the sky tonight than it usually does, based on what I can see from my open window. I'm here at Choji's in one of his guest rooms, lying in bed on my back with the lights off. I left the window beside my bed open to let the night air in. His folks keep it kind of cold, but I don't mind the temperature outside that much.

My mom told me that I didn't have to leave home. She loves me and it seems she always will. But I just can't stay there with her, you know? Too much happened that just makes me wanna be away for a while.

As for the immediate future… frankly, I do not want to attend the party at Ino's house tomorrow evening. I can't imagine how troublesome it'll be having everyone together again… The idea and intentions are sincere, but it'll just wind up being a cacophony of emotions and voices and that's all.

Plus, I don't want to hang around Sasuke. I know I often speak about camaraderie, but protecting him and hanging out with him are two different things. He's not someone I ever particularly enjoyed.

I don't want to see Kiba, either.

Come to think of it, I don't want to see anyone.

Even the thought of Naruto being there is enough to make me reconsider my decision to go...

I look down at my overnight bag on the floor and remember that I still have a pack of cigarettes tucked away in one of the smaller pockets.

Leaning over, I reach down, nearly falling off the bed in the process, and unbutton the front flap. The packet of cigarettes and Asuma's lighter are sitting side by side. Of the two, I grab the latter and lay back down again. Its sleek, cold metal frame quickly warms up in my hand, and I flip back the lid. After lighting it, I realize just how easy it would be to fall back into smoking.

However, Naruto told me it's a bad habit that I needed to quit. Which, yes, it is. And yes, I did quit. It's figuratively killing me to not be able to smoke right now. I should've bought a patch or some gum or something… Even though I'm sure those substitutes don't really work, the thought of having something to distract me is appealing.

I light the lighter, the only thing I can do at the moment, watching the tiny flame dance in the night's gentle wind. But just as I get transfixed by it, it dies out, leaving me alone under the moonlight.

That's the first time that's happened in a long time…

It's time to refill it with lighter fluid.

I'll take care of that soon. For now, I place it on the nightstand and roll over. Making sure to slip out of my shirt and toss it to the foot of the bed, I crawl under the sheets and close my eyes. When I feel myself falling asleep, I don't fight it in the least.

* * *

The sound of voices muffled in the night gently pulled me from the sleep I was trying to enjoy. I pull the sheets back a bit and realize I've shed my shirt and pants, now in my underpants. I'm not entirely sure why I would do that, considering how cold it is in Choji's house…

To my left, the window is still open and the warm night air is coming in. It proves helpless against the cold of the air conditioning, though. I look at the moon and lay back down on the soft pillows. All I can do is think. I'm in between sleep and being awake, and thinking about things usually puts me back to sleep at times like these.

First thing that pops into my mind is this party I'm going to tomorrow. Or today… I have no idea what time it is. It could be eleven thirty at night or four in the morning for all I know.

I wonder if the girls would let me slip in for about twenty minutes and then just come back to Choji's. I'm certain that Sasuke, if he shows at all, wouldn't be around for long and he'd get away with it. I can imagine he doesn't want to be hounded by Sakura and Ino for not showing up to this thing. Come to think of it, Lee would probably be on his case about it, too.

And Naruto.

Someone approaches the door to my room and pushes it open, making me pull the sheets up to cover myself.

"Who's there?" I said, the light from the hallway near blinding me.

"Shikamaru, I knew I'd find you here."

It's Naruto.

"Naruto, what are you doing here? It's…" I don't know the time, "You shouldn't be running around this late."

"I'm lonely." He mumbled as he entered the room and closed the door.

"Can't you form some Shadow Clones?"

"You know it's not the same."

"Naruto… we're… You can't stay here with me."

"I already talked to Choji. He's fine with it." He replied as he came over to my bed and pulled the sheets back. "You look good enough to eat." He told me as he climbed in with me.

I put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him at bay. "No, we're not together. You can't just do things like this. Please respect my wishes."

Naruto frowned. I seem to have gotten through to him. Honestly… now I'll have to walk him home…

"You want to keep me forever, right? That's why you're leaving me…"

"How did you figure that out? I didn't tell you about my plans…"

Naruto's warm hand touched my arm and gently glided along it. I grow weak and falter from his tender touch. He realizes it, too. Leaning forward, now with no resistance from me, he stops a hair away from my face. I feel my heart threatening to jump out of my chest. When his tongue comes out and runs along my lips, I don't know how to react.

"Say we're together again. Please." He whispers as his other hand finds its way, slowly, down my chest and stomach until it reaches the hem of my boxer shorts.

"I can't… I… I love you, but-"

"That's all you need." He interrupts as he carefully slides his hand into my pants to reach my penis—fully erect now thanks to his tender advances.

His warm hand gently strokes me, effortlessly encouraging a shuddering moan out of me. "Naruto…"

Naruto pulls away, leaving me wanting more despite what I'd just told him. I want this. I want him, but I can't have him. Not like this…

"I'll go and find Sasuke, then." He said.

I squint out of envy. "Is that right?"

"Mmmm… Sasuke…" he moaned, then reached down into his pants. He started stroking himself with one hand as he pulled his shorts down with the other. My eyes are stuck on him, even despite what he's doing and  _whom_  he's doing it for.

"Naruto…" I say, leaning over.

"He's here…"

I jump as a hand from behind unexpectedly glides over my hip and grabs hold of my member. "S—Sasuke?" I say, confused and uncomfortable at his sudden appearance.

"You don't need to fight me. We can share." He responded.

I look over my shoulder and am met with his lips on mine. Before I can react, Naruto interjects by flipping me over so I'm fully facing Sasuke. The feeling of his wet fingers running between my ass cheeks is odd… Odd because I'm not used to him being this way, and because I'm strangely aroused; one man kissing me and jacking me off while the other slowly begins to slide his fingers into my asshole.

"Shikamaru, I've always wanted to do this…" Naruto said. "I can have you both at the same time."

In my heart, I question what he just said… He's always made it clear that I'm the one he wants…

Sasuke pulled away and started kissing my neck. "After he's done fucking you, I'll do it, too."

Again, before I can protest, something stops me. The feeling of Naruto's tongue running along my neck makes me moan lowly. Sasuke continues stroking me while Naruto removes his fingers and slowly slides himself into me. It's more painful than it is pleasurable because I've never been anyone's bottom before. But the thought of Naruto being here in this way with me is just…

My eyes shoot open when I feel myself cumming in my pants and I sit up, panting and looking around my room.

I'm alone…

A wet dream…

I sigh and close my eyes. Cleaning up after one is always annoying.

Pulling the comforter back, I see that I somehow managed to avoid soiling the sheets. While I am thankful for that, the feeling of this wet warmth all over my underwear is becoming increasingly unpleasant. Not because of  _what_  it is, though. It's more unpleasant because it's a hassle to clean and having wet dreams is just plain embarrassing.

What the heck was Sasuke doing in my dream, anyway? I've never once thought of him in that way. I don't even like him, if I'm allowing myself to be honest.

I can only imagine my subconscious is trying to console me, as twisted as a threesome with the man I love and the man I can't stand is… I can admit that Sasuke is attractive… sometimes. But his showy attitude, his disregard for his actions and their consequences, the fact that he is so self-absorbed, and how he treats people who care about him is enough to make anyone realize he's not so great.

Well, perhaps there's something Naruto's cousin sees in him that I don't, since she's been around him for years and is now carrying his child… The thought of another arrogant Uchiha roaming the village is enough to send chills down my spine.

Naruto is the only man I've ever loved. He's the only one I've wanted to give myself to fully—faults and all. I can't say that about anyone else, especially not Sasuke. The  _only_  thing I've ever wanted to give him was a punch in the face… and a kunai to the neck as of late…

The window and curtains are closed now. I must have closed them in the night without realizing it. I slip out of bed and open them. It's morning now, the sun rising over the mountains being proof of that.

The day is beginning. Misery will surely follow…

As I step out of my underwear and head to the bathroom, I realize I must be having withdrawals from my boyfriend. Naruto gave me so much happiness, and now that we're apart, it's just incredibly lonesome…

I realize this is what it will be like in the near future, when I'm not around to see him at all, but still… I guess now I'm looking forward to this party for no other reason than seeing him there. I hope he's not still angry with me for telling him we need a break.

* * *

"I wonder if Neji's team is gonna show up." Choji said as we made the walk to Ino's house. The walk has been rather uneventful, probably because it's about three o'clock in the afternoon and the streets aren't bustling like they would be at lunch time or when it's quitting time.

I shrug and offer a reply to him. "If they are, it couldn't hurt. You know Tenten and Ino love to try drinking each other under the table."

"Heh, that's always fun to see." He chuckled lightly.

"I hope there's enough food for everyone. Mainly you." I tease.

"There is. Ino had me over late last night preparing. That's why I couldn't stay after helping you bring some of your stuff to my house."

"I'm sure you had to restrain yourself from eating."

"It wasn't as hard as you think."

I raised an eyebrow, curious about that statement. "Ino promised you something, didn't she?"

"Extra helpings next time we go out." He replied with the innocent smile he's always had.

I sigh, wondering why she would promise him that when she's the first person to criticize him about his weight. I don't really offer anything to the conversation after that. We continue our walk through the peaceful streets in silence, letting the mood be washed over by the bright and pleasantly warm sunlight shining down on us.

If nothing else, I appreciate having things returning to how they used to be. Deep down, this is all I ever wanted. The rookies are all together again. The village is at peace. All is right with the world again—a statement I'm not fond of, but it fits so well.

The moment we reached Ino's place, Choji stopped me and looked me over for some reason. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"Just making sure you're looking okay. You've been through a lot and I don't think it should show. But…" he ran me over with his eyes again, "You look fine."

My attire for the day is a somewhat loose-fitting beige shirt, a pair of black pants that are tighter around the calves, and my regular shoes… I don't know what the big deal is; he saw me when I came out of the bathroom this morning… I am wearing a necklace that I got a long time ago from my dad. Maybe that's making me look "fine" to him. I don't really like necklaces, but it kind of completed the look and it is a nice one. At the end is a stone charm with the words "undying fire" etched onto it.

It's symbolic of this village and its persistence. I think it might also symbolize the bonds we all have together.

When he knocked the door, he turned to me and smiled. "How long are you planning on staying? I know you're not one for hanging at a party all day."

"I don't know." I replied simply. I truly don't. I didn't even want to come today.

"Wait to open that until later." We heard Ino say as she came to the door. After peeping through the window beside the door, she smiled opened the door. "So glad you guys came!"

"Hey, Ino." I say, trying to hide the fact that I didn't want to come.

"Afternoon, Ino!" Choji said, rubbing his stomach.

"Come inside, we've got some food ready. Sakura, Tenten and I are all cooking the rest… What we didn't tell Choji about."

"What?! That's not right!" I watched as Choji walked on to the kitchen, a look of hurt on his face that Ino hid food from him.

I entered the house and closed the door, wondering what I'd be doing for the time I would be here. I don't understand why this had to be an all day affair, anyway. We'll all see each other around the village.

As I stand in the foyer, looking back at the outside world through the window, I hope to the Gods that Sasuke isn't here yet.

Or Kiba.

They're comrades, yes, and the latter far more than the former, but neither of them are good company to keep. Sasuke is too arrogant and brooding while Kiba is too obnoxious and abrasive. I suppose there are others in our group who share those qualities, but there's just something about Kiba and Sasuke that makes me want to avoid them.

I'd be lying if I said I don't want to see Naruto…

Instead of waiting around for someone to find me and start chatting with me, I sigh and head to the kitchen as well; might as well. Maybe by some miracle being around the girls and Choji will make me feel better.

As I head there, I am reminded of the wealth of some of the big clans in this village. The Yamanaka clan, the Akimichi clan, and even my clan all have unreasonably large compounds. Part of that is because they are the clan compounds, meaning the whole family resides in them. It's an inconvenience for me now that I have to head there from the front.

Looking around as I walk, I remember a few things about this place from when we were all kids. I've only been here a few times, but the furniture is still the same. Flowers fill the house being set in corners, on shelves, and hanging from the ceiling in some places. At my house, we had flowers in the garden and in the windows…

The Yamanakas are very in-tune with floral arrangement, and it's the reason their shops are expanding in the village. I wonder if the Harunos are similar because Sakura always seems to know which flowers to bring to which occasions.

I finally reach the kitchen and see Ino swiping food from Choji, Sakura mixing something in a bowl, Tenten washing dishes, and when I get further into the kitchen, I see Naruto sitting at the table, icing a cake. Seeing him made me freeze, and I could feel my heart start beating a lot faster. He shouldn't be making me nervous…

I ignore the uneasiness and walk in to offer my help to them. The party begins in a few hours, but it seems like half the cooking is still being done despite what I was told earlier.

"Shikamaru,  _what_  are you doing?" Ino snapped when she saw me start cleaning off the counter.

"I'm making Tenten's job easier so she doesn't have to run around the kitchen collecting dirty dishes." I reply, confused about why she's upset that I'm helping out.

"I'm not finished with those… If you want to help Tenten, start drying the dishes. Or go help Naruto ice the cakes. Or keep Choji busy so he doesn't  _eat all the food_." She squinted as she said the last part.

I put the bowls and the spatulas down and toss my hands in the air defensively. "Sorry, sorry…"

"Don't be sorry. Just don't get in the way of the prepping."

Women can get a bit testy when it comes to things like this, so I back off completely and take a seat at the table across from Naruto. He's forcing too much icing onto the cake at once, and I'm surprised that no one has snapped at him.

When I get up from the seat I just took and sit in the chair closest to his, those bright blue eyes looked up at me. I feel a bit nervous and awkward again—we haven't talked since I told him we were taking a break—so I don't really know what to expect from him. "You're putting too much icing… And you're putting it on the cake while it's still hot, so it won't go on well. Just let it cool for a while." I tell him.

He sighed and leaned in close. "I didn't even wanna get here so early… Sakura-chan stopped by my place and asked me to come out with her to the store. If I'd realized she was bringing me here after leaving the store to finish setting up for the party, I'd've pretended to have diarrhea…"

I grin and shake my head. Same old Naruto, it seems. "At least Choji and I are here now. You're not alone."

After putting his finger into his mouth to lick the icing off, making me look away from embarrassment, he sighed. "I guess we could go clean up."

"Ino's house is immaculate." I reply. I am actually surprised because she isn't a person who cleans up after herself. I guess her mom keeps the place tidy.

Naruto gives me a look. He doesn't need to say anything because I realized what he meant right away. We both stare at each other briefly, before shooting up from the table and dashing out of the kitchen. Ino called after us, but she was far too busy to actually stop us.

"We'll be back when the cake is done cooling off!" Naruto told them.

We fast-walked through the house, avoiding all the Yamanakas who were walking about—probably still here because the party hasn't started yet—and went straight to the living room.

Naruto almost knocked over a vase full of chrysanthemums when we entered, but caught it and blushed. "Last thing I need is for them to get mad at me." He said as he stood it upright again.

"Yeah." I say with a smile. Honestly, the girls yelling at us is something that reminds me of our Academy days.

Instead of standing around inside, the two of us decide to go sit outside on the veranda in the sun. Being around Naruto now after our last encounter isn't as awkward or difficult as I imagined it would be.

When we get outside, he sat down with his feet hanging over the edge of the floorboards. I stand for a bit, kinda nervous about being alone with him like this. But… being around Naruto beats being stuck with the girls any day… I didn't feel bad about leaving Choji with them, as a side note. He can actually cook so they won't fuss at him for getting in the way.

After sitting down beside Naruto, keeping some distance between us, I try to ease into conversation. "Have you been eating well?" I asked.

Naruto looked at me, "More or less. There's more food in my fridge now… I'm trying to learn to cook, so I buy foods with detailed instructions on the packaging." He replied.

"Good." It makes me smile to think that he took something positive away from our time together.

"Have you been smoking?"

"No, I haven't. I even ran out of lighter fluid in Asuma's lighter. I was gonna refill it, but the object itself is memento enough."

"Good." He said, imitating me and smiling.

I swallow saliva and speak again. "I take it you've been well…? Not depressed or anything, I hope." I am still looking his way. No matter how awkward it is, I'm not the kind of person to be indirect or shy away from things. Besides, I'm still more comfortable around him than practically everyone else in our class.

"Well… since we split up, I-"

"There they are!"

Kiba's harsh voice is unmistakable…

I roll my eyes now that he's here. He's too boisterous and abrasive for words… And he arrived just in time to interrupt Naruto's and my conversation, no less.

Naruto turned and smiled when he saw Team 8 coming into Ino's place.

"Kiba, it's rude to just walk into someone's home." Shino said as he did the same thing he'd just disapproved of. Hinata wanders in after him, blushing when her eyes find Naruto. I roll mine again.

Team 8 gives me a headache…

"Naruto!" Kiba shouted, coming over to the two of us. Naruto got up and walked back into the living room to meet him halfway, and Kiba quickly wrapped his arm around his neck when they did meet. After leaning heavily on him, he spoke again. "How've you been? Keeping Shikamaru satisfied?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, too. Glad to see I'm not the only one who finds Kiba to be a pain. Though, Naruto always tolerated him more than I ever could. "Kiba, is that really the first thing you ask me?" he asked, returning a stupid question with an appropriate response.

"Wh-he's your boyfriend! I just wanna know how the lovebirds are doing. You two are the talk of the village."

"We are?" Naruto asks.

"Eh, kinda." We're probably the talk of a  _few_  people, and Kiba's just blowing things out of proportion. "Are you feeling good about being taken?"

"I…" I can tell Naruto is trying to handle this as delicately as possible.

Still, this couldn't possibly get any worse… I turn away, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"Well… we're…" Naruto paused. I can feel him looking in my direction. I can also tell he's feeling like he's under duress while trying to figure out how he should respond, but I can't even look at  _him_  right now. "We don't need to talk to anyone about it. It's our business."

Holy hell. I can't help but feel a bit at ease that Naruto didn't reveal how we were taking a break, as per my request. I turn to look at him, and this makes Kiba raise an eyebrow.

"What's going on? Are you two hiding something?"

"Kiba-kun…" Hinata said, coming a little closer to us. "Let's go and greet the others."

"Yeah, maybe there's some food ready by now." Kiba replied as he let go of Naruto. "Don't do anything… weird." He told us.

Just as he and his team started towards the kitchen, Ino burst into the living room with a tray of food in her hands. "Hey there guys! Welcome to my place, and sorry it's such a mess… Here, try these appetizers while you wait for the main dishes to finish. And don't break anything while you wait!" she said, directing that last statement at Naruto and Kiba.

I take this moment to move close to Naruto again, "I'm gonna go sit in the garden." I whisper.

He nods, and it seems like he wants to follow me. Before either of us even gets the chance to consider leaving, a knock at Ino's front door echoes in the room. She quickly headed over to it and opened it, "Sasuke-kun?!" The room falls silent. Standing there while looking as if he'd rather not have come is Sasuke.

I'm definitely anxious, considering what he just put us through on the battlefield. I still have my secret technique, if he goes berserk again… But that's an absolute last resort.

I turn my attention from Sasuke to Naruto, who is making eye contact with him.

"Hey, there's so much noise coming from in here. We heard you guys all the way in the kitchen." Sakura said as she came into the living room, Sai following her with some last-minute decorations under his arm. I didn't realize Sai had arrived. He probably used the kitchen entrance. "Oh…" she said as she saw Sasuke.

Before anyone could say anything, Sasuke's bespectacled friend emerged from behind him. She's so short compared to him that I didn't even see her back there.

"I won't be here for long." Sasuke's only words as he came inside.

"Nice place here." His comrade said. If she's here, I wonder if the other two will come as well.

Sakura comes over to stand beside Naruto and me as Sasuke comes over to us. "Sasuke-kun, thanks for coming." She said, offering a genuine smile.

"I knew you and Naruto would pester me for weeks if I didn't." he replied flatly. His expression said he'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Karin, how've you been? Is Sasuke making sure you're comfortable?" Naruto asked.

Karin folded her arms and blushed, "I don't need you looking out for me! I can take care of myself!"

Sakura took this chance to speak again. "Well, Sasuke's never had a way with women." Relatively lighthearted of her to say considering how he physically and psychologically tortured her all these years… I guess she's moved past it now.

"Don't we know it…" I heard Ino comment as she walked over to the dining table and put the tray she was carrying down on it.

Sasuke rolled his dark eyes, but engaged his team in conversation. I stood quietly, observing as the tense mood progressively fell back into the lighthearted one that enveloped the room before Sasuke came in.

Seeing Naruto standing there and chatting away so easily with the others quickly identified him as the life of the party, even though Sasuke had abruptly snatched everyone's attention before. I don't want to remove him from catching up with everyone. After all, we had many days and nights together where we just talked and enjoyed each other's company.

But he's not mine anymore.

I can't monopolize him, and since I let him go, I can't be jealous of how he divides his attention among us.

That's one of the reasons I did it. I wanted him to feel free to be with his team; to not feel obliged to be with me when all he wanted was them. In suggesting a break, I've also removed the guilt I would feel by wanting him for myself. I removed the choice he had to make between myself and Sasuke. In the end, it made things easier for everyone…

When Hinata came over and offered Naruto some food, I stared on at the scene.

She takes every little chance she can to coddle him…

Instead of trying to save Naruto from her, I simply head back outside while the others aren't looking. I don't need this. I don't need to see him being snatched around like some rag doll because everyone wants his attention.

Hinata had shyly come over to him, offering him food. Of course she would… She does anything to get his attention, even while still under the impression that he and I are dating. Sakura had gravitated towards him, obviously feeling more comfortable around him even though Sasuke was present. Sasuke came over to him to mock him or catch up with him. In his book, I guess mocking and catching up coincide with one another. Sai and Karin also came over, following the others.

People are just attracted to him.

Even me…

Regardless of any of that, like Sasuke, I probably won't be here for long. I didn't want to come to this circus in the first place.

I manage to find a nice place in the conveniently secluded garden, then lie down on my back and stare at the clouds overhead. At least I'll always have this.

* * *

I wake up from the sound of loud and excited voices carrying through Ino's house that carried all the way out to the garden. It doesn't surprise me that I fell asleep. I usually do after a while of watching the clouds go by.

From what I can hear, Rock Lee and Neji have arrived. And the party is so loud that I know they're this late because they'd been training and both had to go back to their houses to get ready. I wonder if Neji even knew about the party. He's not usually late for anything. Surely Hinata told him about it. Maybe he didn't want to come, either.

The sun is nowhere to be seen, meaning it's nearing evening now. I wonder if I should leave now or go back in to eat something.

Sure, this get-together is something meaningful, but I just can't allow myself to go inside again. I'm sure I'll see half the people inside somewhere around the village tomorrow, anyway. Some I'd rather see more than others, of course…

As the wind begins blowing and some bright flower pedals began falling from the many lattices posted up, I close my eyes. Yeah, leaving in a bit is a good idea. Ino and Sakura will lecture me later, but I'm fine with that.

The sound of the wind rustling the flowers and trees was so enchanting that I almost didn't notice the two people walking around the veranda. I opened my eyes and saw them through the flowers.

Sasuke seems to have pulled Naruto off to the side somehow.

Seeing them alone together is disorienting, but I shouldn't be nervous, right? Sasuke has Karin. And what's more, I let Naruto go… Whatever he does with his romantic life  _should be_ none of my concern.

They sit down beside each other, a bit closer than I'd like.

The wind is now an inconvenience to me because they are a bit further away from me to be in earshot. Whatever they're talking about, it's got them engaged with each other. Sasuke doesn't appear to be smiling too much, but whatever the subject is, Naruto sure is happy about it.

Could he be planning to ask Sakura out? Considering he's talking to Sasuke, I can only imagine that's the only thing they could be talking about with him smiling so much. She's literally the only thing besides ramen that I've ever seen him so enthusiastic about.

That smile is so innocent and charming…

He repositions himself so he's sitting with his legs crossed as he looks up the sky. Naruto really is a beautiful man, and I let him go... I'm frowning now and my eyebrows are a bit furrowed, I've just realized.

"Sakura-chan said it's a good idea." I heard when the wind finally settled.

"Oh? So you're going to go for it again like all those years ago?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, I mean, nothing is stopping me…" he said. "I won't wait too long; probably in a few weeks."

"Good luck, then."

"Thanks."

"What about Shikamaru?" This question made Naruto grow silent. I'm actually confused, but taken by surprise that Sasuke is asking about me.

I don't want to jump to any conclusions, considering I don't have the full context of this conversation. But understand that this can only sound bad to me…

Naruto looked this way, although I can tell he doesn't know I'm here. He's staring at the pond that is covered in flower petals. "Shikamaru is… Well, you know I love him… Maybe I should tell him, too."

I'm really confused now. If I'm correct, he's planning something that Sakura has told him is a good idea, and he thinks he should tell me about it.

"Do what you want." Sasuke said as he stood up.

Naruto stood up as well and then stretched his arms in the air. "Well right  _now_  I'm gonna go get something to eat."

"Better not let Hinata see you, or she'll offer to feed you herself." Sasuke teased as the two of them made their way back inside.

I fall back onto the grass again and let a heavy breath escape my lips. They seem pretty close now considering how they almost killed each other a few days ago…

Gods, relationships are so troublesome… The jealousy, uncertainty, and vulnerability I've felt in the past few days alone are stressing me out. This makes me wonder if it was actually a good idea to have asked Naruto out that day…

It was so easy in the beginning. In spite of everything, Naruto himself has been anything and everything a guy could ask for. It's everyone else that's making this so difficult.

A little while later, I am a few minutes away from getting up and slipping away from the party like the ninja I am. I've had enough and I really just want to go back to Choji's place.

"Hey, Shikamaru! Are you out here?!" The sound of Naruto calling out for me takes me by surprise, and I don't know whether I should reply to him or not.

"I'm in the garden." I say. When the man you love calls out for you like that, genuinely searching for you because he wants to find you, there is no choice but to answer him.

Naruto enters the garden and I see him come and stand over me, holding a large plate of food in his hands. "Food's been done for a while. Have you eaten? And why are you out here?"

"I haven't eaten yet because I wanted some peace and quiet." I tell him truthfully. No need to lie, and he probably already knows that's the reason.

"I'm half surprised you didn't leave… but glad you're still here." He said as he sat down with his food, resting his right leg comfortably against the left side of my torso. I watch him without a word as he begins eating. "I brought extra in case you're hungry."

I let a chuckle escape. "Are you eating here to avoid being fed?"

Naruto grins, "No. Well, I was going to eat in the kitchen. But I thought I'd find you and bring you some food, too."

"Oh…" When he offers me a forkful of what appears to be beef and rice, I smile and eat it. It's actually really good. Kudos to the chefs on their hard work.

"I'm feeding  _you_." he said in Hinata's defense.

"I  _want_  to be fed by you." I counter.

"Hehe, fair enough." He eats more food and seems to realize something while he does. His chewing slowed before he spoke again, "I forgot my drink on the counter…"

"Are you thirsty?"

"…It's been a drought these days."

"No rainfall for you, huh?" I ask.

"It used to be showers under sunshine every day." Naruto said with a dirty smirk on his face. I get what he means, too… The rain can fall with the sun shining. Though, this conversation has clearly moved from the drink he had left in the kitchen…

What we had together was real, something to cherish.

"I miss you, ya know." he continued.

"I know." I tell him.

He nearly chokes on his food. "Jerk! You're supposed to say 'I miss you, too' or something."

"I know." I say again, grinning as he stares daggers at me. "But we're apart for a reason."

"I still want you, Shikamaru. Just  _you_ …"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And I don't care if it's only been a few days, or even if it was just a few minutes. I miss you."

"Naruto, I can't stay with you. Not now. I'm…" I sigh, annoyed that this is the case, "I'm going training for a while. A long time, actually. My dad and fellow clansmen have a special training area that's a long ways away from the village, and I'm going to train there. It will be a long trip going and a long trip coming back, not to mention the training itself takes about a year to get through. I can't bring you with me, no matter how much I want to."

Naruto looks down at his food. "Then isn't that a reason we should be together now?"

"No… I made the decision to take a break so you could enjoy your team being together again without having to divide your attention between myself and them. Enjoy being with them, Naruto. It's been years since you could. You and I have been together since we were kids, even if it wasn't romantic."

"The same is true for Sasuke and Sakura-chan. I've known them since the Academy, too…"

"But still, you all spent years apart; especially Sasuke. They're your team—your closest friends."

"You're not excluded from them. If I'm honest, I think of you as my best friend now. Because you are, Shikamaru." His words have hit a heartstring. I never knew he'd consider me his best friend over any of his teammates. "It's interesting that you're going training, ya know… I'm actually going training, too. I guess great minds really do think alike." He admitted, surprising me again. "So I couldn't go with you even if you could bring me…"

"Why are you going training?" How much stronger is he planning to get?

"Because I need it. Sasuke said he's going to be training extensively even while taking care of Karin. I barely managed to bring him back to the village with that last fight. I can't let him be stronger than me if I'm gonna be Hokage!" he ate from his plate again and then continued after he was done chewing, "I just told him about it, and I told Sakura-chan about it a little while ago. They both said I should, but I was going to go even if they told me otherwise. Not that they would…"

"I see."

"What made you want to go training?"

"A similar reason: the fight with Sasuke's comrades. I used a jutsu that I had no control over, and Sai was in the vicinity. It could've killed him, and I was lucky it didn't. I need control over it if I'm going to be able to protect you. Plus it couldn't hurt to develop some more jutsu. You have no idea how much it killed me inside to be so helpless when Sasuke was so close to killing you…"

Naruto stared at me, "Shikamaru, you still love me, right?"

I looked back into his blue eyes that were desperate for an answer, "Of course I do. Breaking up wasn't easy for me… I never wanted you to be in pain, and I know it seems like I'm abandoning you just like Sasuke did, but-"

"You're not abandoning me." He interrupted me, then placed his food on the ground so he could take my hand into his. I swallowed a nervous mouthful of saliva as he rubbed my hand with his thumb. "You're still here as a friend for me, and you're ultimately leaving so you can look out for me. Sasuke was only thinking of himself when he left…"

"…" I can't reply. I can't think of anything to say at all. Naruto must realize this, and he leans over and plants a tender kiss on my forehead.

He rests his forehead against mine shortly after, staring into my eyes. "Tell me we'll be together again. That will at least get me through the time we have to be apart."

"I promise you we'll be together again. I'm sorry things have worked out so that we are apart like this. You know I love you more than anything in this world."

"Shikamaru, I'm really thankful to you. If it weren't for you, I'd've been alone… I wouldn't have known what it was like to have someone like me… someone I could see myself with. All I ever wanted from love was to know what it was like to bond with someone and have it lead to this kind of…" he paused and squeezed my hand, closing his eyes, "happiness."

"I'm really happy you came into my life, too, Naruto." I tell him as I connect our lips, wiping away the tear that was threatening to fall from his left eye.

Despite all the stress I've endured over the course of my time with Naruto, in the end, I know for certain that asking him out was a good thing because only he has ever made me feel this happy or this loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The next chapter is a Naruto POV chapter!
> 
> If you all had to pick who visits Naruto and Shikamaru during their training, who would you choose and why? I've got some people in mind, but hearing some opinions would be welcome.


	21. Solace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains mature content!
> 
> A/N: For everyone still following the story, and especially those who reviewed/commented, thank you. The support you all give makes this worth doing. The story continues, so enjoy the latest chapter!

I'm lying in bed in my apartment with the lights off, trying to figure out if I can go back to sleep before morning. I haven't exactly been sleeping well for the past few days. My schedule has turned into me going to sleep late and waking up really early, and it seems today won't break the cycle. This has been going on for a long time, but it really hit me after the girls' party.

It's been about two weeks since then, but apart from my sleeping issues, it doesn't seem like much else has changed. Sure, the party did bring everyone together like it was supposed to, but life goes on now that it's over. Parties don't last forever, after all.

I turn and stare out my window at the sky—which is still dark because it is so early—before observing the village itself. Ever-growing and changing, at least it still feels like home to me. It's expanding, which is great because I love to explore what new districts are appearing; there's always new shops to wander into, new roads to walk, new people to see...

But despite all the new, the old remains.

I can't help but think about my friends. We're all remnants of the village from the days I knew growing up. Things were simpler then, despite everything that was to come for us… and the things that were to come for the village itself.

Sasuke is the same old Sasuke. He's still arrogant and looks down on me, the jerk. Amazingly enough, the friendship we have remains intact... Of course, he's been more or less welcomed back into the village. I'm glad to have one of my oldest friends with me as I continue on in life. But it's not like we've been spending a lot of time together. He's always busy restoring the old Uchiha compound, training, watching after Karin, and going on the occasional trip outside the village. His new friends don't seem to cause any problems; I assume because he's incredibly stern, like a father or watchful older brother or something.

It does kind of hurt that he spends more time with the three of them than he does with his old team… But having him around is better than the way things used to be when he left all those years ago.

I've been spending some quality time with Sai a lot recently. We've spent a few nights staying up late just talking about things, most of which I can't even remember. But that's the thing. I don't need to recall every single thing we talk about to know that I enjoy his company. He did tell me a story about walking up on Kiba in the baths and how they nearly got into a fight. Honestly, I think he might have a crush on Kiba and is just unaware of it or something. He's always teasing him…

Anyway, I have come to find comfort in him. It's good to have another guy I can sit down and talk to, ya know?

Ino's been a bit persistent with her nosiness lately. She's always asking me about what Shikamaru and I are up to, and I always have to brush it off. I still haven't told anyone that he and I are taking a 'break' from each other, and it seems he hasn't either. It's our little secret, I guess… Maybe that's a good thing…

Rarely, I can spend time with Ino, and perhaps with some others joining us, and kind of talk. I never knew her _super_ well, and frankly found her to be kind of annoying, but she's very genuine and real. Occasionally she cracks a funny joke. I like those things about her, if nothing else.

I bumped into Karin a little while back and managed to make her sit down to lunch with me. She's happy with Sasuke and their living arrangement, which is exactly what she told me. She kind of opened up to me, instead of shoving me off or putting on a tough front like she used to. I still don't know her that well, though… Her baby bump is starting to show, too. I wonder what she's having...

I don't know why, but I do want her to be content in life. She's not a bad person, and she's incredibly funny at times. It seems like she's just been through a lot, and it's human nature to want someone like that to find some happiness.

Sakura-chan has been exceptionally busy lately. She's aiming to take over as a head medic at the hospital. In order to do that, she's been studying more techniques, learning about more diseases, how to cure them, and things of that sort. To my surprise, she actually invited me out to spend a day in the park together once on one of her days off, and we wound up talking the whole day away. Apparently, we both agree that even if we're not close like when we were kids, it is good that Team Seven is together in the village again. Apart from that, she didn't really talk about Sasuke, which kind of surprised me. It seemed like she just wanted to be hanging out with me.

She laughed a lot that day…

I'm glad I could make her smile again.

Honestly, it was the date I always wanted… But…

I still miss Shikamaru so much.

I miss _his_ _smile_ , his constant need to look out for me, his seriousness matched by surprising and rare bursts of goofiness that made me think he'd make a good husband, the way he looked at me during sex, the way he'd hold me in the afterglow… I just want him back in my life. Not as just a friend, either. I've got enough friends.

I need him to be _mine_ again.

I sigh heavily and close my eyes for a moment.

Now that he's not with me, I remember the small things about him. How he always had to beat the rain, but whenever we got caught in it, he'd let himself get wet and say we have a place to go to that's warm and dry. How he had the habit of organizing things in my house, especially in my kitchen and bedroom, even when I told him it was useless. I miss his hair and how stubborn he was about always wearing it up in a ponytail. I miss falling asleep on him when we were watching movies together, and him telling me it was okay, even though I knew it wasn't. I miss the comfort of knowing there was always someone _there_ , wanting to be with me and wanting to understand me as much as humanly possible.

Going on without him has been very hard.

Sure, he convinced me that this break was for the best, but that doesn't mean I like it.

It's so unfortunate that we can grow so attached to people, and then they go away from us for one reason or another. Yet there're some people I see regularly who I can't seem to shake. Life is weirdly unfair in that way.

Shikamaru and I do see each other around, but it's not like it was when we were dating… or even before we started dating. I used to see him all the time back then. Heck, he was just a friend who was always around in those days. But now that all is said and done, it's like we've drifted apart, and it hurts so much.

I ran into him the other day—not literally, but you get it. It was two days ago, to be exact.

We wound up seeing each other in Tsunade-obaa-chan's office. I was just there to visit and see if I could help with her moving her things out, but he was being sent on a mission that has kept him out of the village until today—Inauguration Day.

Kakashi-sensei is being named the Sixth Hokage today. The village is ecstatic about it, too.

When I saw Shikamaru, I caught him in the hall and I asked him if he'd go to it with me. He told me it'd be fine as long as he was back in time. Then he suggested we bring Sakura-chan and the others as well. I wasn't opposed to this, but it effectively dashed my hopes of spending some time alone with him… as friends. It's been so long since we were alone together.

I guess I should be happy he agreed to hang out with me.

And I know he didn't say we should bring the others to _avoid_ being alone with me. I can tell because when he said it, it seemed like it just came out naturally. Because we're all friends, ya know.

I've grown pretty good at reading him now that we're not together—a skill that I wish I could've had when we were together. It might have helped me prevent our separation in the first place.

I'd heard that old saying that you don't really know the one you love until they're gone…

The thought makes me tear up a little because it's incredibly true. If we had a second chance, it would be so much better…

Another thing, tomorrow I'm leaving for Mt. Myoboku to complete the training I planned. I really hope I get to say goodbye to Shikamaru and the others; Shikamaru most of all because he'll be going away for about a year to the opposite end of the world. I doubt we'll be able to see each other even once.

Eventually, I gave up on falling asleep. But when I tried to get out of bed, I found that I lacked the will to do it. So I just kinda stayed in place, my mind wandering aimlessly.

Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep again.

When I woke up, I saw the sun in the sky. It appeared to have just risen over the mountains on the horizon, meaning I hadn't slept too long.

Feeling better rested, I was finally able to get out of bed and get ready for the day. I guess I should wear something nice. It is a pretty big thing and this will also probably be the last time I'll be able to see any of my friends for a while.

* * *

I picked out a dark blue undershirt to wear with my short-sleeved orange vest—which I left unzipped. I also chose a pair of black slacks that I hadn't seen in several months. It took a while, ironing everything and actually combing my hair, which isn't super long since I recently cut it, but I think I look pretty nice.

On my way to Sakura-chan's house, I couldn't help but notice a lot of girls giving me attention, blushing and crowding around each other, watching me as I walked. It's kind of embarrassing to be honest. I never did like this kind of attention. I admit, the things I liked about Sakura-chan was she was bold and different—someone I could talk to and be myself around. The same could be said of Shikamaru, who I always felt pretty comfortable around. He came onto me and blindsided me with his feelings; I'll never forget that day. And that was attractive to me, even if it took a while to realize it. The fact that he's a guy made it something to get adjusted to… but I was glad to have opened myself up to him.

Though, it's not like I never noticed him when we were kids…

I don't know.

Sexuality isn't something I'm sure about… I like girls, but I also apparently like guys.

"Naruto," Sakura-chan's voice caught me by surprise.

I looked over my shoulder and saw her coming my way with a smile as she weaved through the people crowding the streets.

"Sakura-chan!" I said, a bit more enthusiastically than I first realized.

When she reached me, she patted my shoulder a little roughly. "How's it going today? Ready for the inauguration?"

"Yea! I'm psyched! We haven't done this in years, since Tsunade-obaa-chan!"

Sakura-chan's eyes lit with fondness as she recalled it. "Wow, that _was_ so long ago… We were so young."

"Now look at us. All grown up…"

" _Mostly_." She commented, giving me a look that suggested I wasn't fully matured. "You miss those days?"

"In some ways, yes. But mostly, no. I'm so much closer to you and everyone else now than I was back then. That means something to me."

"Well, Ino and Choji are waiting outside the Hokage mansion. There's a crowd already."

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" I ask. I haven't seen him in a while, actually. Wonder if he's keeping a low profile to read his pervy books.

"I don't know."

"Hmm…" I take a moment and think it over, "Let's just head to the mansion then. He's gotta show up to the ceremony."

"Alright." She shrugged and started walking with me. As we made our way through the village, I happened to notice girls giving less attention to me, and more _negative_ attention to Sakura-chan. This was specifically something I noticed when I saw a girl from before giving her the stink eye.

Did they think she was my _girlfriend_?

"Something wrong?" she asked, looking up at me curiously.

"N—no! Nothing.." I reply quickly, hiding it from her. I can't say why, but the thought of someone mistreating Sakura-chan still gets me riled up…

As we came up to the main street facing the mansion, we were more or less blocked from proceeding due to the concentration of people crowding the area. There was so much talking that I couldn't hear anything Sakura-chan said to me.

When I felt someone grab my arm, quite roughly, I turned and saw Ino and Choji attempting to get closer to Sakura-chan and myself through the crowd. I pulled Ino by the arm and she fell into me, dragging Choji along with her. The three of us bumped into Sakura-chan, who was knocked into a stranger.

We all laughed it off as we attempted to find a less crowded place to watch.

"We tried to get here earlier, but _someone_ was taking too long to get ready!" Ino told us once we'd all migrated to a rooftop.

"It's fine. We actually just got here, too." Sakura-chan said.

"Where's Shikamaru?" I asked his teammates.

"I don't know." Choji told me. "He wasn't back in the village last night."

"Big plans for today?" Ino raised her eyebrow and gave a suggestive look.

I felt myself growing warm all over, "No, nothing like that, jeez. I was just wondering where he was."

I was very disappointed. Shikamaru _needed_ to be here today… I needed him to be here with me.

Before I knew it, the Inauguration had begun. Some Jonin came out to the large balcony on the Hokage mansion and gave their speeches about Kakashi-sensei, who was standing out of sight. Even Yamato-sensei gave a speech about him, which was a bit long-winded.

His speech was the last one before Kakashi-sensei emerged and the crowd gave a thunderous cheering applause for him. I smiled, pretty glad he was being so well-received. I can't help but think back to the first day I met him as he spoke out to the village.

Man, time sure has passed…

I gasped when I saw Sasuke-teme and his friends watching the ceremony on a far-off rooftop. He noticed me noticing him and smirked at me. I could tell even from this distance.

"Shikamaru!" Ino and Sakura-chan's voices chimed from behind me. My heart felt like it was gonna jump out of my chest.

I whipped around, and there he was. My Shikamaru was standing there under the sun and being greeted by the others. He doesn't even know how much I've missed him. Sai arrived literally a few seconds after he did, meaning we were all together again.

While the others were engaged in brief conversation, Shikamaru made his way to me and greeted me with a hug. I stood there frozen for a moment before returning it, closing my eyes and burying my nose in his sweater.

"How are you, Naruto?" he asked when we parted.

I hid my emotions and gave him a smile. "Pretty good. And you?"

"Same. My mission took a bit longer than I thought, but I'm back in time for the ceremony. Just like I said." He said as he scratched his head.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Yeah, it's good to see you again." He singled me out, which was a relief to hear.

Nervously, I motioned for him to follow me to a quieter place. He obliged and we found a higher rooftop to sit on, hanging our feet over the side. I sighed and tried to hide my feelings, but he noticed anyway.

"You okay, Naruto?"

I breathed in quickly and avoided looking at him. "I'm holding up. I really miss you, ya know. I hate being apart…"

He didn't reply right away. But what he did do surprised me. Gently, he reached out and put his arm on my shoulders to pull me closer. "I know. But really, we're going to be apart for a long time. You've got your training and I've got mine… I want to get stronger, just like you."

I rested my head on his shoulder. I couldn't really reply, fearing I might get too emotional. This was supposed to be a happy time—a celebration. So instead of saying anything, I rested against him and just appreciated the gesture he'd made. At least he still wanted to be close to me.

* * *

After Kakashi-sensei's speech, there were many festive explosions of confetti and the crowd gave applause for longer than I thought a crowd could. I'd noticed that Sasuke and his friends were gone by then. And once the ceremony was over, we all made our way to Choji's place.

For most of the day, Shikamaru was more or less preoccupied with the others. Then we all got into a big conversation about the training he and I had planned. It really only served to depress me, since I wouldn't be able to see him or the others for such a long time.

Day soon became night and, after some drinks were served, the girls and Sai all agreed they'd be spending the night. Choji had a guest room and his living room could house a few people for an overnight stay as well.

Having had a drink or two, I felt fine to leave, but Shikamaru was my reason to stay. I pretended like I wasn't going to make it home tonight, and it worked like a charm.

When the girls slipped off bathe and Choji and Sai started to eat, Shikamaru asked me to his room.

Once there, he locked the door and sat down on the bed. I didn't know if he wanted to talk or just wanted me to sleep with him tonight, but either way, I turned off the light and let the moonlight from the balcony light the room. I sat down very close to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I'm going to miss you, Shikamaru." Is the only thing I could bring myself to say. The thought of being away from him for so long even after the time we've already spent apart is too much for me.

He returned my hug, weaving his fingers in my short hair. "I'll miss you, too." He told me.

We stayed like that for a while. I could feel his heartbeat, and his breath as it left his nose as well. He eventually pulled me down on top of him and kissed my cheek. After that, he took my hand and guided it to the bulge in his pants. I got very hot as I gripped his dick through the soft material.

"Shikamaru… we shouldn't…"

Immediately, he released my hand and looked me in the eye. "I'm sorry. If you… if this makes you uncomfortable-"

"No…" I quickly stopped him because that wasn't the case, "It's just that we're… more or less not together…"

I could see disappointment in his eyes. "I know. But I was just thinking we might both regret it if we didn't spend a night together before being apart for so long. It'll be just us and our hands after tomorrow."

I straddled his stomach and considered what he'd said. But there really was no need for consideration at all. I wanted him so badly, and hell, this was more than enough proof that he wanted me and missed me.

"You're right." I told him, then moved a little further back so his bulge was pressed against my ass. "You're right." I whispered in his ear before kissing it. "You're always right, Shikamaru."

"Naruto," I could hear him grin, "You want to…?"

"I'll always want to with you." I replied, then connected our lips. His were a little dry tonight. As his tongue found its way into my mouth, he slipped his pants off and I felt his dick hit my ass immediately after he did.

I wasted no time in pulling my pants off, somewhat awkwardly since I was sitting on top of him. He smiled against my lips when he took hold of my dick and ran his thumb along the tip. He smeared the precum all over it before bringing his thumb up and sucking it clean.

This turned me on even more and I kissed him again, wrapping my arms around his neck to hold him tightly.

"Fuck, Naruto…" he exhaled, then coated his fingers with spit. I bit my lip and buried my face in his neck as he started to finger me, preparing me for his entry. "Alright, you ready?" he asked.

"Yea, fuck me, Shikamaru. Please…" I said, then bit his skin lightly.

After positioning himself, he squeezed his way inside me and exhaled when he'd fully entered. I smiled and kissed him, encouraging him to begin. He returned the kiss as he started moving. I helped him along by riding him, and I could tell this made him feel good because he moaned so loudly I thought the others might hear him down the hall.

"Shikamaru, don't let the others hear us." I whispered with a smile.

"I don't even care if they do." He said, then flipped me over onto my back and fucked me even harder. "Jack off for me."

I nodded and took hold of my cock with one hand, and used the other to hold Shikamaru's cheek as he plummeted into me over and over again. I timed my stroking with him, and blushed when I felt a bead of his sweat drip down onto my face. Shikamaru stopped for just a second to pull his shirt off and toss it to the floor, then continued his assault.

I slowed my stroking when I felt my climax approaching. I had to know he was going to cum first. Before I could tell him I was close to the edge, he spoke.

"Shit, Naruto… I'm gonna cum…!"

"Cum for me," I told him, then pulled him close and kissed him.

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around my torso tightly and sped up. I could actually feel him cumming inside me, his pace slowing and becoming less powerful as his orgasm washed over him. He moaned and whimpered and panted against me. I took this chance to stroke myself faster, somehow more turned on than ever at hearing the amazing sounds he made. I came with a pleasurable moan, shooting all over his stomach and chest.

Breathless, Shikamaru collapsed on top of me and I could hear him smile as he panted. I smiled as well, running my hands up his back and then running my fingers through moistened his hair.

"I love you." I exhaled.

Shikamaru looked up at me for a second, and then his eyes cast down to my chest.

"I'm sorry… I knew this wasn't…" I looked up at the ceiling and sighed, unable to finish.

"Naruto, it's okay." He said, and I looked down at him nervously. "I'm glad you still have feelings for me despite everything that's happened. I still love you. I feel like I always will."

His reassuring words hung in the air for a moment before I bit my lip and felt my eyes start watering.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make you cry!" he continued.

"I'm not…!"

"I never meant to hurt you…"

I closed my eyes and let the tears fall. I just let them fall. I sniffled and sighed before replying, "It's fine. I just wish we'd had more time together, ya know…"

"We just may, someday." Shikamaru said before he rolled off me and then wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

I buried my face in the space between his chest and the sheets. After clasping my hands on his bicep, I told him good night. I couldn't bring myself to say anything else. I could only lay here with him and appreciate that he hasn't lost his love for me. Tonight, we didn't get back together… Tomorrow, we'll split up for a long, long time.

Even so, we still love each other. That's enough solace for now, I guess.


End file.
